24 | Tees Business
Middlesbrough ’ s Investment Prospectus targets in numbers …
Commercial and housing investment –
£ 625m
Total supply chain jobs –
750
Total land regenerated –
57.5 hectares
Business accommodation developed –
1.7m sq ft
Total direct jobs -
4,250
Total new homes built –
5,500
The seven pillars of the masterplan
1 . Middlehaven – A major leisure and sports hub with the £ 30m snow centre as the catalyst for a total investment of up to £ 60m
2 . Centre Square – Plans include 200,000 square feet of premium office space bringing 2,000 jobs , as well as the £ 8m town hall restoration
3 . The railway station and historic quarter – Revitalising the entire area to be ready for direct services to London in 2020
4 . University Quarter – Creation of a new £ 6m student village in Gresham
5 . Media and Innovation Village – Highquality commercial , cultural and leisure space , including a new bus station
6 . Business and Enterprise – Including Teesside Advanced Manufacturing Park , Hemlington Grange Business Park and the expansion of the Boho area
7 . Housing – Meeting the housing aspirations of a growing population , including town centre living
In the footsteps of the founding fathers
History – Dave Budd says Middlesbrough ’ s thriving high-tech digital economy is the breeding ground for the “ Bolckow and Vaughan ” of the 21st century .
Middlesbrough ’ s thriving hi-tech digital economy is the breeding ground for the “ Bolckow and Vaughan ” of the 21st Century , according to Dave Budd .
The mayor was speaking during a visit to the growing Boho Zone , where around 1,000 people are employed .
Just as the town ’ s founding fathers Henry Bolckow and John Vaughan changed the world with iron and steel , Budd says the town ’ s digital businesses are now doing the same in the creative and high-tech sectors . “ It ’ s a huge part of our future ,” he said . “ We have the fifth highest concentration of digital jobs in the country , more than Leeds , Manchester or London . Boho is a real asset that we ’ re looking to build on . “ You could say these people are the new
Bolckow and Vaughan .”
Bob Makin , CEO of games developer Sockmonkey Studios , said : “ There ’ s been a lot of games development in Middlesbrough .
“ We have good internet speeds , so it doesn ’ t make a difference now where you are – you can work with people all over the world .”
“ It ’ s fantastic ,” added Animmersion managing director Dominic Lusardi . “ Ten years ago we started out on a dream of seeing a digital cluster develop and we can see the fruits of these labours . We are so proud to be here .”