Middlesbrough

Dec 6 2007

MIDDLESBROUGH is a town that’s going places.

The pace of change in terms of regeneration, rebuilding and reviving the area continues to accelerate.

Through the Evening Gazette’s Tees Pride campaign we’ve continued to put the good work underway in the Boro in the spotlight - and show the area’s real sense of ambition.

To really make a difference to an area you have to think big - and think bold. And that’s certainly true of Middlesbrough.

And signs of Middlesbrough’s ambitions to be at the heart of a world-class city region are already evident.

Mima - the Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art - has welcomed tens of thousands of visitors since it opened its doors in the town centre at the start of 2007.

The multi-million pound gallery is more than just a great venue, it’s a clear symbol of just how far we’ve come.

The impressive Centre Square, beside mima, played host to the glorious Proms in the Park event during 2007.

Again this showed millions of people worldwide that this Tees Valley town can stage a prestigious event such as this just a well as anyone.

Arts and culture continue to play a increasing role in Middlesbrough’s future.

The town is home the annual Mela Festival, one of the country’s top animation festivals, Animex, and the hugely successful Music Live.

Millions of pounds are being invested in the town.

Projects like BoHo and the Institute of Digital Innovation are helping the town be seen as one of the creative capitals of the UK.

The £17m BoHo zone will create 27 businesses and 283 jobs and will be developed in the area of Queen’s Square, Exchange Square and the railway station in Middlesbrough.

Major regeneration work is underway at the Middlehaven site.

This dockside development is one of Teesside’s longest running projects - it’s almost 30 years since efforts began to breathe new life into the site.

But Tees Valley Regeneration is now spearheading the £500m development of the site which hopes to create 3,000 new jobs, more than 2,400 homes, 800,000sq ft of commercial office development, hotels, bars and restaurants.

Developers BioRegional Quintain are leading work on 40 acres of the first phase around the dock.

Terrace Hill has completed work on Manhattan Gate, the first offices at Middlehaven and work has been completed to replace the roundabout at the A66 and Borough Road junction with a flyover and slip road into the site.

Work is well underway on construction of the new £68m Middlesbrough College.

And a marketing suite and show apartment are being installed at the site.

Middlesbrough’s retail sector also continues to thrive.

Millions of pounds are being ploughed into the town’s shopping centres.

New faces have arrived - such as Starbucks, Costa Coffee, H&M and George - to further improve Middlesbrough’s retail offering.

Plus the town’s second shopping quarter - Linthorpe Road South - continues to prosper.

The area is now full of energy and opportunity and is home to designer stores such as Psychs, bars, restaurants and specialist stores.

Middlesbrough is also home to PD Ports - owner of Teesport and Hartlepool port.

And it’s a company with ambitious plans for growth.

Its £300m deep sea container terminal scheme, known as the Northern Gateway project, could create 5,500 jobs.

The new facility would significantly increase PD Ports’ cargo handling capacity from 300,000 to 1.8m 20ft equivalent units a year and contribute £250m to our economy.

Middlesbrough is home to almost 137,000 residents and has an unemployment rate of 4.6%.

And it has an improving educational track record.

Macmillan Academy was named the best state school in the UK last year after researchers compared 1.2 million state school pupils nationwide.

Development work continues at Middlesbrough’s Riverside Park industrial estate.

Easter Developments is creating dozens of industrial units for new and expanding small and medium sized enterprises.

Home to the Evening Gazette’s own printing facility, Riverside Park is the base for a whole range of companies.

Exotic stone surfaces and flooring manufacturer f.jones has invested £5.2m in its Riverside Park operation and has plans to double its team to 90 and sales to £10m over the next two years.

The estate is also the headquarters of sandwich maker Brambles Foods, which is one of the leading specialist suppliers of sandwiches and salads.

Delivering nationwide, it employs more than 400 staff.

And state-of-the-art technology firms can also be found at Riverside Park, such as IT services group Onyx.

Dramatic change has been seen in the heart of Middlesbrough thanks to the seven years of work by The Middlesbrough Town Centre Company.

The company made a huge impact during a period of sustained growth and expansion in the town centre, which included refurbishment of all three main shopping malls, the creation of Captain Cook Square and key developments such as mima.

Since 2000, around 2,500 jobs have been created in the centre and there has been £248m investment.

Keeping up the momentum is now the aim of a dedicated Town Centre Team set up by the council to deal with development projects.