Boro ‘want the Riverside inside development corporation’
TOP OFFICIAL REVEALS CLUB’S DESIRE TO
A TOP official says Middlesbrough Football Club has asked to join a new development zone aiming to rejuvenate land promised regeneration for decades.
A new development corporation is taking shape at Middlehaven and across a stretch of the town centre – with the new zone set to be led by Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen and a new board.
The corporation has promised to cut red tape and take hold of powers to acquire, develop, hold and dispose of land.
Now councillors have been told the football club is interested in the zone encompassing the Riverside Stadium.
A £10m sum has been put towards both Hartlepool and Middlesbrough’s new corporations to “pump prime” their creation.
Julie Gilhespie, chief executive of the Tees Valley Combined Authority, told councillors how the sum would go towards demolitions and “seed capital” across the site – with a vision for “multi-use developments” at Middlehaven.
Pedestrianisation, expanding Teesside University’s “footprint” with accommodation and a better student leisure offer, and town centre living are part of the plan.
She added the £10m was to “kickstart” things with the majority of money spent expected to be from the private sector. But the top officer also revealed the red line boundary of the zone was likely to be extended to include the Riverside Stadium.
Ms Gilhespie added: “The football club have asked us to do that.”
Council leaders in Middlesbrough have broadly backed the corporation.
Middlesbrough Mayor Andy Preston welcomed transferring over planning powers – but added there was a “monstrous” amount of detail still to be agreed.
Meanwhile, Middlesbrough MP Andy McDonald has shared governance concerns – claiming leaders were taking a “relaxed attitude” to a “massive shift of power away from the council”, and into the hands of a board led by Mr Houchen.
Middlesbrough councillor Chris Hobson wanted to know what would happen to the money the council received from its assets within the zone. Mr Houchen said setting up a corporation with a red line was “relatively straightforward”, but explained the additional powers in legislation showed the land could transfer to the new corporation’s control.
When it came to transferring assets, he told the committee the only way they could do that was through consultation with bodies before the Secretary of State made a decision. But Mr Houchen said that didn’t mean they had to shift over what the council owned.
He explained the TVCA was working with the council to track down what they actually owned within the boundary – and calculating the income, or cost, assigned to each asset.
The mayor also promised the new corporation would not be allowed to leave the council in a worse financial state by disposing of or taking over any assets.
Mr Houchen added: “There is a huge process going on and in some instances we won’t transfer land because it might be so important to the council – there may be no way around it impacting their medium term financial plan.
“There, we might just say the council can keep it.”
When it came to land, the metro mayor believed there was a lot which could be done with the Broadcasting House site, on Newport Road, if it was transferred.
Mr Houchen added: “There is stuff I think you could do around the Cleveland Centre – you’ve got the Civic Centre with the council moving out there on the edge of Centre Square. Middlehaven is the obvious one.
“The council have struggled to get Middlehaven away for decades now for lots of different reasons. I think there are some really quick wins you could get on Middlehaven we’d be able to deliver which wouldn’t have any risk or financial liability coming back to the council because it’s insulated in the development corporation.
“All of that is still to be worked through.” Ms Gilhespie told councillors of estimations from the Teesworks development corporation site showing Redcar and Cleveland Council could receive a total of £400m in business rates by 2046.
She added: “It’s not on the same scale (as the South Tees Development Corporation) and I’m not suggesting it is – but it does demonstrate that having that investment can have a transformational effect.”
Middlesbrough FC declined to comment on the Riverside being included in the zone.
The development corporation is expected to be approved this autumn.