Serving the Teesside Business Community | 21
Six months into
Middlesbrough’s radical
regeneration plan, it’s
clear to see that new life
is already being breathed
into the town centre – and
council chiefs are promising
that the best is yet to
come. Michael McGeary
reports…
WINNING
THE
M
iddlesbrough Counci is delighted with
the headway made since the launch of
the town’s first Investment Prospectus.
Hardly a week goes by without another
lively new restaurant, boutique or micropub
arriving on the scene, tempting more and
more local people to return time and time
again.
“Not long ago every time you walked up
Linthorpe Road you’d see something else
had closed – now you see something else
opening,” says Middlesbrough mayor Dave
Budd.
“We’ve made fantastic progress, with
around £50m-worth of external investment
and just over 500 direct jobs created to date,”
adds chief executive Tony Parkinson. “That’s
thanks to extremely important new schemes
such as Flannels, Bistrot Pierre and Turtle
Bay.
“There are also many big schemes to
come, such as the snow centre, the student
village, offices near Centre Square and
Teesside Advanced Manufacturing Park, but
the closer you get to the end, the slower
things move. It might look like nothing’s
happening, but it is.”
Budd and Parkinson say every smaller
project helps lay down firm foundations for
the potentially transformative larger schemes
to come. And it’s a two-way process. They
cite the £8m town hall restoration as a prime
example of how one major investment can
trigger many more smaller ones.
“If you speak to Bistrot Pierre, they’ll tell
you the town hall redevelopment is a major
reason they’ve come here,” says Parkinson.
“They’re also aware of the office
develop ments we’re proposing and the
thousands of white-collar jobs coming here.
“We know Bistrot Pierre will bring other
Looking to the future –
Middlesbrough Mayor Dave Budd
says the council’s ambitious
Investment Prospectus is already
delivering projects and creating jobs
for Teesside.
REGENERATION
GAME
businesses and we’re hopeful that the
restoration of the facade along Albert Road
will soon be complete.”
The first phase of the town hall work
should be finished by spring 2018, at which
time the town hall will reopen before work
on the roof begins later that year, and the
two men are clearly excited by the progress
so far.
“It’s an astounding venue,” says Budd. “It’s
getting towards completion and you can now
start to see what it will be like.
“As well as the major concerts we’re used
to, there are several other spaces including
the old courtroom, which are ideal for smaller
poetry readings and acoustic concerts.”
Old carpets have been stripped back to
reveal tiling which is now being restored to
its original state. The former fire station will
be a coffee shop and access is being opened
up to one of Britain’s best preserved Victorian
courts.
A carriageway that most people don’t
know runs all the way through the building
has been modernised in a way that respects
its heritage, with a new version of the
original glass roof. The restoration also
revealed some surprises.
“We took away the false roof expecting to
find asbestos, but instead we discovered the
original stained glass ceiling,” says Parkinson.
“Each pane is now being painstakingly hand-
restored.
“It’s going to be absolutely stunning and I
can’t wait to see it when it’s finished.”
While the night-time economy is beginning
to thrive once again, the council says the
Centre Square offices will provide balance
for the town centre after a Centre for
Cities’ report highlighted the need for more
commercial space.
Although building work has not yet >>