Serving the Teesside Business Community | 33
“The impact on the local
economy is huge, and for
local people there are the
sort of job opportunities that
can be truly life changing.”
Turtle Bay – the national chain opened in April
this year, rejuvenating the former Walkabout
unit on Albert Road.
independent boutiques and a truly
cosmopolitan restaurant scene that has, in
the space of just a few years, transformed
Middlesbrough’s cultural and night-time
economy.
The dazzling array of newcomers include
Japanese ‘izakaya’ bar and restaurant Umi,
The Curing House, Bedford Street Coffee,
The Chairman and The Smeltery at mima.
Nearby Linthorpe Road has welcomed
The Fork in the Road, Uno Momento, Oven
and Boro star Dimi Konstantopoulos’s Greek
restaurant Great, to name just a few.
Yet more transformation lies ahead with
the rebranding of the town’s tallest building
Centre North East as The Pinnacle, with plans
in place for student accommodation, a gym,
boutique bowling alley, sky bar and casino.
John Taylor, of Cliff Court Developments,
which is leading The Pinnacle project, said:
“We are really excited to be part of the
revolution currently taking place across the
town centre.
“It’s clear that Middlesbrough is becoming
a significant destination for families, and our
ambition is to create the sort of attractions
that will draw people into the town centre
from a much wider area.
“Working with the council has been
instrumental in helping us to bring in end
users of the quality of Turtle Bay and Lane 7
that will give new life both to Centre North
East and the town as a whole.”
It’s a resurgence that hasn’t gone
unnoticed, espec ially among Boro ex-
pats such as former Guardian columnist
and award-winning writer Harry Pearson
who admitted a little nervousness when
introducing a new girlfriend – a former
Michelin Guide inspector no less – to the
town, when writing his exclusive Tees
Business column.
Any fears fell away soon after their arrival:
“Half an hour later we were sitting at the
speckled marble counter in The Curing House
on Bedford Street, eating a big platter of
charcuterie and drinking chilled manzanilla.
“This is good,” I said, trying to keep the
note of surprise out of my voice.
“Good?” my girlfriend replied. “No, it’s
The Fork in the Road – a high-end not-for-profit
restaurant which opened in 2016.
great. I feel like I’m in Manhattan!
“There are some sentences you never
expect to hear – but it’s very, very nice when
you do.”
Pearson sums up the new confidence that
can be seen across the town, and in every
sector: “Teesside now has a bubblingly
ebullient restaurant scene, from the
gloriously restored splendour of Acklam Hall
to the socially conscious excellence of The
Fork in the Road.”
Meanwhile, leading local entrepreneur
Steve Cochrane – the man behind fashion
mecca Psyche – is another champion of the
town who clearly sees a bright future ahead.
“The reality of Middlesbrough is totally at
odds with the national image – it’s been a
long time coming, but that’s really starting to
change,” he says
“The town is striding forward and there
are lots of fantastic places for people to shop
and go for lunch, micropubs and breweries,
cool gin and cocktail bars.
“The people in place at Middlesbrough
Council are very business-focused, they’re
doing a good job.
“It’s starting to feel like a city, and there’s
lots in the pipeline.”
Work has also just started on a new £10m
Dock Bridge at Middlehaven which will
further open up one of the region’s most
important regeneration sites, with work
expected to start next summer on a £30m
snow centre.
Closer to the town centre, plans are
progressing for the development of five
Grade A office blocks on land to the east of
Centre Square, creating around 1,500 new
jobs and giving a major boost to the town
centre economy.
Councillor Charlie Rooney, Middlesbrough
deputy mayor and executive member for city
centre strategy, sums up the mood: “There’s
a real sense that we are at an exciting point
in Middlesbrough’s history, the start of a
whole new era in the life of the town.
“There’s a real sense of optimism at the
moment, and we can help to maintain and
drive that momentum by supporting and
encouraging the sort of leisure facilities and
physical regeneration that people tell us they
want to see.
“It’s a question of honouring the rich
heritage which laid Middlesbrough’s
foundations, while looking to the future with
purpose and confidence.
“We’ve done the groundwork and
made the first few important strides, with
impressive changes already plain to see – but
I firmly believe the best is yet to come.”