MIDDLEHAVEN DEVELOPMENT TRANSFORMING TOWN
A MULTI-million pound scheme to transform underused land in Middlesbrough is being boosted by continued public and private sector investment.
Middlehaven is a mixed-use scheme which will see residential, business and leisure facilities created on land which has remained undeveloped for a number of years.
The site is already home to the £70m Middlesbrough College; Temenos, the first of five proposed Tees Valley Giants by internationally renowned artist Anish Kapoor and structural engineer Cecil Balmond; two office blocks, Hudson Quay 1 and 2, by Terrace Hill; and BoHo 1 and 2, the creative quarters of DigitalCity.
Now work is underway on sustainable community developer BioRegional Quintain’s Community in a Cube residential block, the first phase of its £200m Riverside One scheme; while the college is looking at expansion options.
Richard Buckley, Director of Delivery at Tees Valley Unlimited, said: “While many other regeneration schemes across the country have stalled as a result of the recession, Middlehaven has managed to maintain momentum.
“And what is also encouraging is the fact that the work which has taken place is incredibly varied. In one corner stands the magnificent Temenos, in the other Middlesbrough College, while in between are Terrace Hill’s business units, Community in a Cube and BoHo 1 and 2.
“All are helping to transform the site into a thriving mixed-use development, bringing with them significant jobs and investment.”
Chris Munro, Area Manager Tees Valley at the Homes and Communities Agency, the landowner and also a major funder of the project, added: “We’re delighted that Middlehaven, one of the flagship developments in Tees Valley, continues to be a real success story. It’s an excellent example of the benefits public and private sector partnerships can bring.”
Temenos, the £2.7m sculpture created by Turner prize-winning artist Anish Kapoor and structural engineer Cecil Balmond, the man behind the famous CCTV building in Beijing, was recently completed and launched to the people of Middlesbrough.
The sculpture, which stands 50m high and is 110 metres long, is the first of five proposed pieces of art which form the Tees Valley Giants.
Cecil said: "Temenos transforms the landscape and I hope it will shape its own iconic power, along with the Transporter Bridge, to be a signal for a renewed Middlesbrough.
“The landscape, culture and spirit of the people of Middlesbrough all played an important role in the creative process, while the engineering expertise and flair of the local workforce who've fabricated and erected this unique structure, has been outstanding.
“I hope the people of Middlesbrough will come to feel the same passion for, and pride in, Temenos that they experience for their other world famous landmark, the Transporter Bridge, and that it will come to represent the town's aspirations, vitality and imagination."
BioRegional Quintain’s Community in a Cube development is a block of 80 apartments which form the first phase of RiversideOne, the UK’s largest zero carbon development. A comprehensive and holistic sustainability vision overarches RiversideOne which will enable it to achieve high standards of sustainability.
The scheme will be built to BRE EcoHomes and BREEAM ‘Excellent’ standards and will benefit from features including on-site renewable energy generation, a car club, low impact construction materials and opportunities for food growing.
Pete Halsall, BioRegional Quintain’s Managing Director, said: “We are now making our vision of RiversideOne a reality and providing a district that will set future standards for sustainable community development at a scale previously unrealised in the UK.
“We have begun to create a new district that will ultimately provide the people of Middlesbrough with outstanding homes in a waterside location, a public events space, innovative leisure facilities and new commercial property.”
As well as Tees Valley Unlimited and the Homes and Communities Agency, the transformation of the Middlehaven site is being supported Middlesbrough Council, One North East and the Homes and various private sector partners.
David Cramond, Director of Capital Development at One North East, said: “Middlehaven is a key regeneration scheme not just for Middlesbrough and the Tees Valley but for the whole of North East England.
“It is very encouraging that construction is ongoing, and the quality of development achieved so far has the potential to help attract further investment.”
Councillor Charlie Rooney, Middlesbrough Council’s Executive Member for Regeneration and Economic Development, said: “The transformation taking place at Middlehaven is rightly attracting a global audience and it’s great to see years of hard work becoming a reality.
“These are difficult times for everybody, but our ambition for Middlehaven, the town as a whole and the wider region has never wavered.
“Without projects like this, towns like Middlesbrough would simply stand still – instead the town is looking to a future in which it will compete with other towns and cities across the UK and beyond.”
For more information contact Leanne English, Press Officer for Tees Valley Unlimited, on 01642 632013, 07725 602824 or email leanne.english@teesvalleyunlimited.gov.uk.