NEWS / Infrastructure Intelligence / Wates wins Middlesbrough regeneration project

Plans for Middlesbrough's Gresham area

27 NOV 2024

WATES WINS MIDDLESBROUGH REGENERATION PROJECT

Wates has been appointed to deliver a major regeneration project expected to transform a brownfield site in the heart of Middlesbrough.

The regeneration of a large disused site in Gresham is being spearheaded by the mayoral-led Middlesbrough Development Corporation (MDC), which has joined forces with property developers iMpeC and Buccleuch Property.

The transformational project sits as part of the wider Middlesbrough masterplan, with the first phase including more than 230 build-to-rent properties and residential accommodation for more than 450 students.

International hotel brand Fairfield by Marriott is also in discussions to open a 200-bedroom hotel as part of the wide-scale regeneration project.

A planning application for the first phase of the project is set to be submitted in the coming weeks.

Subject to planning permission and MDC board approval, building work on the project could start as soon as early summer 2025.

The wider aim of the scheme is to offer high-quality accommodation to attract and retain talent in the town, support the growth of Teesside University and kick-start plans to regenerate the centre of Middlesbrough by attracting up to 4,000 jobs.

David Wingfield, managing director for construction east at Wates, said: “We’ve been working in the centre of Middlesbrough for nearly a decade, helping cement the town as a key growth region in the North-east through our builds.

“The Gresham regeneration will help accelerate this potential even further, bringing a disused area back to life through the creation of community, and we’re incredibly proud to be appointed to deliver it.

“We firmly believe that large-scale regeneration projects should go beyond the lifecycle of a building, providing opportunities that can support communities for generations.

“We plan to deliver more than £50m in social value to Middlesbrough through this scheme, aligning with our values to create thriving places and allowing us to make a lasting impact in the heart of the community”

Leigh Cresswell, director at iMpeC, said: “This development can be the catalyst to wide-scale public and private investment that will transform the centre of Middlesbrough.

“It will help the town’s digital community – the UK’s fastest-growing tech hub – as well as the thriving advanced manufacturing and professional services sectors to attract and retain talent.

“Following a formal tender process that attracted most of the UK’s major contractors, we are delighted to welcome Wates as a key part of the established project team.

“While their appointment brings the vast experience and knowledge of a national business, Wates has a proven commitment to keeping its supply chain local wherever possible as well as working with the local community

“The appointment of the construction contractor is a key milestone in the development as we move towards the submission of planning approval.”

Ben Houchen, Tees Valley Mayor, added: “We all know decades of failure have blighted Gresham but we’re now putting that right.

“Having a renowned contractor in Wates leading our push in the heart of Middlesbrough is a big boost.

“We’ve set a marker down in priming a Marriott hotel for Middlesbrough’s skyline and I’m now looking forward to seeing spades in the ground to bring more developments, more quality accommodation and more jobs to the town as soon as we can.”

 

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