Millions set for housing

Mar 25 2008 Evening Gazette

AN INNOVATIVE scheme to build low-cost housing dedicated to homeworkers in Tees’ growing digital and media industries has received a multi-million pound boost.

Part of Digital City’s Boho development in the former St Hilda’s area of Middlesbrough, the units will benefit from a £13m grant towards Erimus and Tees Valley Housing projects under the National Affordable Homes Programme.

Mark Elliott, director of Digital City Business, said the development was “a fantastic example of collaboration to produce something extraordinary”.

The units will be specifically designed for homeworking and plugged into the Boho zone’s advanced digital facilities, including superfast 100meg broadband and a “render farm” - a bank of big brain computers used to upgrade special effects and animation from a studio desktop to broadcast quality.

“The main Boho building is about companies, but there are a lot of professionals in the industry who would rather live and work from home,” said Mr Elliott. “If we are going to have a genuine creative quarter on Teesside, we need to accommodate these people as well. Accommodation was always in the plan, but it was fantastic when Erimus came through and said they wanted to do something like this.”

Although the project is further evidence of Teesside positioning itself as a digital media hub along the lines of those described in the recent government white paper on creative industries, Mr Elliott said Middlesbrough was happy to plough its own furrow.

“If various government initiatives come off and link into our strategy, we will go for it... but we’re going to create a custer in Tees Valley anyway.”

Other projects benefiting from the housing grant include the North Shore regeneration scheme in Stockton.

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