N EWS
The future - how Stockton's
centre may look.
BUSINESS BITES
NEW COUNCIL BUILDINGS WILL
SAVE MONEY
Moneysaving proposals to replace
Stockton Council’s ten office
buildings with two offices for all
its staff are being considered by
councillors.
The proposals were drawn-up
after condition surveys confirmed the
ten existing buildings need at least
£25m-worth of maintenance and
repairs over the next 25 years.
The new buildings would cost
£32m but would have much lower
running costs, saving the council an
estimated £120,000 a year – a total
of £3m over 25 years.
NEW ROOF FOR STOCKTON’S
GLOBE
Stockton’s famous Globe Theatre
will soon have a new roof as work to
restore the venue gathers pace.
More than 200 tonnes of steelwork
has arrived on the site in recent
months and the steel structure for
the roof of the Globe is now being
lifted into place.
A new dressing room block is being
built to the rear, with steelwork, lift
shaft and decking in place already.
The stage and orchestra pit are also
nearing completion.
The Globe hopes to bring the
biggest names in entertainment back
to Stockton.
SIRIUS DEAL SECURES JOBS –
BUT INVESTORS LOSE OUT
The creation of thousands of jobs has
been secured after a rescue deal was
agreed for the Sirius Minerals fertiliser
project, which promises a major
boost to local economies in Teesside
and North Yorkshire.
Shareholders backed a £405m bid
from company Anglo American for
the cash-strapped firm, which has
said it would fall into administration
without the deal.
Sirius said the outcome had secured
jobs and future benefit for the local
community and wider region.
The project will be UK’s first major
deep mine in 40 years.
RED BUTTON MARKETING
ACHIEVES CPD STATUS
Darlington-based Red Button
Marketing is celebrating after its
strategic marketing workshops were
CPD accredited.
Accredited CPD training means
the learning activity has reached the
required Continuing Professional
Development (CPD) standards and
benchmarks. Delegates who are
working towards a professional
qualification or keeping a certification
valid can now claim CPD points for
attending a strategic marketing
workshop with Red Button Marketing.
Individuals can keep up to date
with the latest learning on the
understanding that the teaching is of
a specified standard.
12 | Tees Business
AMBITIOUS PLANS REVEALED
FOR STOCKTON CENTRE
T
he Castlegate Shopping Centre
and Swallow Hotel are set to be
demolished as part of bold plans to
tackle Stockton’s empty shops and open up
the town to the river.
Stockton Council bought the buildings
last September before seeking public views
on a “once in a generation” opportunity to
change the town.
Plans are now being drawn up after the
consultation, which attracted around 1,000
responses, revealed strong public support
for putting the site to a different use.
Under the plans, Castlegate and the
Swallow Hotel – which occupy a site around
three times the size of Trafalgar Square – will
make way for a riverside park and offices.
The riverside park will feature public
artwork and pleasant green spaces for
families to enjoy.
A “land bridge” structure will enable the
park to span a section of Riverside Road,
providing uninterrupted access to the
waterfront.
The council is also proposing to build a
new central library, customer service centre
and council office on the site, kick-starting
its regeneration and saving money as part
of plans to consolidate its 10 existing council
offices into two.
The town’s main retail offer will be focused
on Wellington Square, the 700-year-old
market, and other parts of the High Street
and town centre.
The feasibility of covering Wellington
Square – which the council bought in May
last year – to protect shoppers from the
elements will also be progressed.
Stockton Council say Castlegate’s tenants
will be supported to relocate if they want to,
with most indicating that they want to stay in
the town centre.
There is enough space in Wellington
Square and other vacant units in the town
centre to accommodate them all.
The council is proposing to use £20m of
Tees Valley Combined Authority funding
to decant Castlegate tenants, demolish
Castlegate and the Swallow Hotel, and clear
the site for redevelopment.
It is also preparing to submit a bid for £21m
from the government’s £1bn Future High
Streets Fund to develop the Riverside Park
and land bridge, with the outcome expected
later this year.
Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen is backing
the bid.
Charity makes waves at Wynyard Hall
A
n award-winning Tees Valley hotel has
selected its charity of the year for 2020.
The High Tide Foundation, which works
to raise aspirations of the next generation in
the region, has been selected from dozens
of charitable organisations to be given
support and fundraising from Wynyard Hall
for 12 months.
The venue, which offers a variety of
experiences from the hotel, restaurants
and spa to farm shop and woodland walk,
has supported a different charity each year
since 2015.
Head of sales and marketing Ingrid
Brough-Williams said: “Each year
applications are welcomed and one charity
is chosen by our directors after much
deliberation. While each charity is different
one thing remains constant – that the
charity we choose is at the heart of the
Wynyard Hall’s head of sales and marketing
Ingrid Brough-Williams with High Tide
Foundation general manager Lauren Bywater
and Wynyard Hall sales manager Katie Land.
area and has an impact on local families.
This is exactly why we chose the High Tide
Foundation.”
The foundation, which launched seven
years ago offers practical work experience
opportunities for teenagers across the Tees
Valley, opening their eyes to the roles and
opportunities available on their doorsteps.