Teesside University speaks out in favour of Middlesbrough Developement Corporation

Posted on 01 March 2023

Last week (Friday 24 February) Middlesbrough Council voted against the establishment of a Mayoral Development Corporation and £18m investment for the town.

With the guarantee of millions of pounds of funding on day one, the MDC would have unlocked areas such as Gresham and Middlehaven that have been neglected and undeveloped for decades.

Today (Monday 27 February) Teesside University have put on record their ongoing l support for the creation of a Middlesbrough Development Corporation.

Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive of Teesside University, Professor Paul Croney, OBE said: “As an anchor institution, Teesside University is committed to transforming lives and economies. We remain convinced that the MDC would be transformative for the town, and the people of Middlesbrough.

“The University has a strong track record of working in partnership with TVCA to bring forward strategic developments across the Tees Valley, including the National Horizons Centre in Darlington, which is a centre of excellence for the biosciences. In addition, we are soon to complete the Net Zero Industry Innovation Centre on the Tees Advanced Manufacturing Park in Middlesbrough, which will place the North East region at the heart of the green revolution and has already secured £11m in research funding

“Since 2017, we have invested over £280m through our campus masterplan and we are not stopping there. In the near future we expect to see a new vision for Centre Square, with a cultural and media development, which we will support.  

“The ambition and vision of the MDC aligns with our own, and we are firmly in favour of the proposals put forward.”

Tees Valley Mayor, Ben Houchen said: “Over the past decade Teesside University have been  the most positive voice in Middlesbrough. Their footprint in the town has increased and they have invested huge amounts of money into the town.

“Speaking frankly, they, alongside the football club, are largely what is currently holding the town together. It is their presence and investment that provide hope for all the other fantastic small local businesses in the town.

“The Development Corporation plans would have seen the University expand further and make Middlesbrough a real University town. This is how we get people back into Middlesbrough town centre spending in our shops, cafes, and bars, and these plans are only realistic within a new Development Corporation.

“As the town’s most significant investor, I think the full support of the Teesside University illustrates just how important the MDC is to the future prosperity if Middlesbrough.”

The MDC has been designed to transform the town by driving investment and cutting red tape. Its boundary includes crucial assets such as the Boho zone, Middlesbrough Station, the Northern School of Art, Centre Square, and Teesside University.

Middlesbrough Football Club, Union Village, at Gresham and the area behind Sainsbury’s between the A66 and North Road are also included within its boundary.

The plan would see a list of underutilised assets transferred to the new public body, alongside planning and business rate powers, with the mayor committing to making sure the council are made no worse off financially.

Hartlepool Council unanimously backed the move to create an MDC in the town.