22 | Tees Business
Progress – Middlesbrough Council chief executive Tony Parkinson says around £ 50m-worth of external investment has been made , with just over 500 direct jobs being created .
The future – Middlesbrough Town Hall ’ s restoration , due to be completed in Spring 2018 , is attracting new investment to the town centre .
>> started , talks are already at an advanced stage with several potential tenants , including a blue-chip company Parkinson says , enticingly , would “ completely transform this town ”.
“ There ’ s a definite move towards firms wanting to be back in a city centre rather than in a 1990s ’ urban development out in the middle of nowhere ,” Budd adds .
The success of the Orange Pip Market in the thriving Baker Street and Bedford Street area perhaps epitomises the growing mood of optimism within the town more than anything else .
An ever-more eclectic crowd flood in every month to sample street food and explore the cluster of independent businesses that have sprung up there in recent years .
“ Orange Pip has played an incredible part in what ’ s happening ,” says Budd . “ We get 10,000-plus people coming to every one . The psychological effects go way beyond the cost of putting it on and it ’ s become precious to people in a very short space of time .”
But Parkinson says the opening of the Holiday Inn Express and the eagerness of other hotel chains to come to Middlesbrough is the most encouraging sign of the progress being made .
“ Hotels really do their homework and don ’ t build unless they know there ’ s a demand . We might feel things are going well , but that ’ s an industry you can rely on to get it right .
“ If you add a snow centre into the mix with more than two million visitors a year and head offices of companies as well , the future looks very rosy indeed .”
Excellent transport links are vital to bring workers in for the new jobs being created and the council is working with the Tees Valley Combined Authority as it seeks to provide another river crossing , improvements to the A66 and better rail connections .
“ Rail passenger numbers are rising by eight per cent a year , which I believe is more than anywhere else in the north , but the new services deserve better facilities ,” says Budd .
“ We ’ re looking at the whole area around the station , including Albert Road and alongside the railway line , where there are some fascinating possibilities that can help glue the town together in a meaningful way .” Proximity to the railway station is one of
the catalysts for the expansion of the Boho area and the redevelopment of Exchange Buildings and has attracted investment firm Tier One Capital to Middlesbrough .
“ We also need to deal with road connectivity ,” says Parkinson . “ We have pinch points in the town and on the A19 and we need to work with the combined authority on the wider issues .
“ We ’ ve produced a bus transport plan that looks at the movement of people around the town in this new economic era and ensures people can get in and out of the town easily .”
The council insists we don ’ t have long to wait to see the town complete its dramatic metamorphosis .
“ We ’ re not talking about years away ,” Parkinson says . “ We expect all these projects to start taking shape in 2018 . Outline permission for the snow centre has been granted and we ’ re expecting to receive a
Key link – the £ 10m Middlehaven Dock Bridge project will be completed in 2018 .
Let it snow – the ambitious snow centre proposal , developed by Cool Runnings ( NE ), is projected to attract at least 2.25 million visitors each year .
detailed planning application , with the build beginning soon after that .
“ Work is well under way on the Middlehaven Dock Bridge and access road that opens up the whole of the land through to Riverside Park that we now own . That £ 10m scheme will be complete at some point next year .
“ We currently have the Welding Institute on Teesside Advanced Manufacturing Park and we have active interest in further units . One company has already made a board decision to relocate here from five locations across Europe , bringing 450 jobs .
“ Many of these aren ’ t things the council is delivering itself , but we ’ re creating the conditions for people to come and invest and also helping with issues such as road infrastructure and planning . After that , it ’ s up to them to secure their funding and deliver – and we ’ re confident that will happen .”