Tees Business Tees Business issue 11 | Page 33

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.”