IN 2023...

• the population is growing, and increasingly diverse. Many more families now remain in the area, attracted by the wide range of housing opportunities in safe, secure neighbourhoods and by the quality of schools. There is now a net in migration of people moving into the town to live;
• cultural and ethnic diversity and quality of life ensure that Middlesbrough is a magnet for creative people. The number of University of Teesside graduates who stay in Middlesbrough on leaving higher education has doubled;
• inward investment has increased and resulted in companies and government departments relocating from the south east into the town and wider city region;
• efforts to create a market for city living and to radically enhance the cultural and educational infrastructure have been critical. This is primarily a result of the success in achieving economic growth and diversification. Full employment has just been achieved – creating many new jobs in financial and business services in the digital/creative industries, and in advanced engineering and manufacturing;
• Middlesbrough’s role as the sub-regional shopping centre for Tees Valley has been reinforced and strengthened. It is the North East’s fastest growing retail centre and has attracted a diverse mix of quality multiple retailers and specialist independents focused around Linthorpe Road. Middlesbrough is in the top 25 shopping centres in the UK;
• Middlesbrough is now recognised as one of the North of England’s top five cultural destinations. mima has developed an international reputation for contemporary programming of the visual arts. Restored to their original glory, the Empire Theatre and Town Hall provide a diverse mix of the performing arts. All three are rooted in the community and have served as a strong catalyst for the development of the arts and creative industries in Middlesbrough – and for the diversification of the evening economy;
• schools, further and higher education facilities have been modernised and now compare favourably to the best in the North of England. Middlesbrough College has further expanded its campus at Middlehaven and the University of Teesside has developed a series of major new buildings on campus, including the Institute of Digital Innovation;
• communities are truly sustainable as a result of massive investment programmes in improving social housing, clearance of obsolete stock and the provision of new family housing and city living opportunities. People want to live here – neighbourhoods are safe, secure and well managed. Housing markets are buoyant;
• the regeneration of the Tees Corridor between Stockton town centre, Teesport and the South Tees area in accordance with the proposals identified in the SMI, is well underway. Middlehaven is connected with and has become part of the wider town centre and is a vibrant, mixed-use quarter containing many new homes, offices and leisure facilities. The revitalisation of the waterfront has extended westwards;
• Riverside Park has expanded, providing new industrial and business accommodation, and the adjoining South West Ironmasters site and the eastern Tees Marshalling Yards are being developed;
• Middlesbrough is at the heart of a connected city region transport network. The public transport system has been transformed; new fast rail services to Newcastle and Darlington are complemented by a high quality metro and bus system, which provides direct services between central Middlesbrough and many of its neighbourhoods. Over 50% of residents travel to work, learning or leisure using public transport. The capacities of the A19 and A174 have been expanded to cater for growth;
• with Stockton, Middlesbrough is providing city-scale infrastructure, services and facilities for a catchment population of more than 1 million people across Tees Valley, County Durham and North Yorkshire. The vibrant culture, sustainable communities, housing choice and first class health and educational facilities have made Middlesbrough and Stockton a truly competitive urban core of the city region;
• the successful regeneration of Greater Hemlington has created a modern, vibrant, and sustainable urban village that has a buoyant housing market; and
• the role of Middlesbrough and Stockton at the centre of the Tees Valley city region is further enhanced by the high quality of both its built and natural environments. This is exemplified by the high quality landscape setting to development created by improvements to the waterfront and the extension of water into the urban area.

SPATIAL OBJECTIVE 1

Recognise the Tees Valley city region and identify the SMI as the location to provide a dynamic city-scale urban centre for the city region and its economy.

 

The Tees Valley city region is identified as one of eight city regions in the Northern Way. As such it is an important driver in the Government’s proposals to accelerate economic growth across the North and deliver greater economic prosperity. The SMI will be an important mechanism in the delivery of the city region concept. The objective will be achieved by ensuring that priority is given to investment and development opportunities that contribute to the creation of an urban centre of city scale in a sustainable way. Delivery of this objective will require close working between Middlesbrough and Stockton to ensure that the two centres and the river corridor between them are developed in a complementary way to create a more competitive urban centre, whilst ensuring that regeneration activity does not damage the river’s biodiversity. There are also important linkages along the river corridor with Teesport and the South Tees area, which need to be fostered and supported to assist with the achievement of this objective. This will involve working closely with Redcar and Cleveland Council to ensure an appropriate level and form of development along the corridor. It will also be necessary to ensure that appropriate policies are included within the LDF. The Stockton-Middlesbrough urban core, together with a prosperous Darlington town centre, will act as drivers in taking the Tees Valley city region forward as a prosperous and successful sub-region.

SPATIAL OBJECTIVE 2

Reinforce Middlesbrough town centre as the principal retail centre for the Tees Valley city region and the Stockton-Middlesbrough urban core as the principal centre for cultural, leisure, and civic administration activities.

 

To achieve this it will be necessary to identify opportunities for the town centre to grow.

 

This will be achieved through rationalisation of existing land uses within the centre, and the identification of Cannon Park as an area into which the centre can expand to accommodate future planned growth. Opportunities created through the regeneration of Middlehaven will also be important in the delivery of this objective.

 

It is important in the delivery of this objective not to undermine the role of Darlington as a sub-regional centre in the west of the city region. Both centres have a complementary role to play in underpinning the future economic prosperity of the area.

SPATIAL OBJECTIVE 3

To stabilise then reverse population decline through the creation of sustainable communities that create an environment attractive to retaining the existing population and attracting people back into the town.

 

To achieve this it will be necessary to identify opportunities for the town centre to grow.

 

This is also one of the aspirations of the Community Strategy. Stabilising then increasing the level of population within the town is essential if Middlesbrough is to develop its role, with Stockton, at the heart of the Tees Valley city region. An increase in population will help to support and improve viability of local services such as schools and shops. The objective will be achieved through a combination of providing housing in locations, and of the type, that people want, and through improvements to the local environment and investment in facilities and infrastructure. Protection of environmental assets will be integral to achieving this objective and ensuring a high quality of life is achieved. Developments at Hemlington Grange and Middlehaven are central to the delivery of this objective. It will be necessary to develop a multi-agency approach to create, and take forward, area frameworks for those parts of the town where intervention is necessary in order to achieve this objective.

SPATIAL OBJECTIVE 4

Protect Middlesbrough’s historic assets.

 

Middlesbrough has few historic sites, so what are left take on an added significance. This will be achieved by ensuring that criteria are contained within policies that protect Middlesbrough’s historic assets and, where possible, maximises their contribution to achieving a sustainable environment.

SPATIAL OBJECTIVE 5

Create a balanced housing stock that meets the needs of Middlesbrough’s population both now and in the future. To address the issue of population decline and to further the prosperous growth of Middlesbrough to the benefit of the city region it is important that the town has a balanced housing stock in terms of type, size and tenure. This will involve joint working with neighbouring authorities to address the cross-boundary housing market issues. Eighty eight per cent of all housing in Middlesbrough is in Council Tax band C or below. The diversification of the housing stock will be achieved through new developments such as those at Greater Middlehaven and Greater Hemlington, and through the regeneration of those areas where housing market failure has been at its worst. All developments will need to contribute to the achievement of a balanced housing stock.

SPATIAL OBJECTIVE 6

Deliver major regeneration schemes at Greater Middlehaven and Greater Hemlington to create sustainable communities that will make a significant contribution to Middlesbrough’s role within the Tees Valley city region.

 

Middlehaven has been identified as a priority for the Council and its partners. Successful regeneration of the area will be integral to the development of Middlesbrough as part of the heart of a successful Tees Valley city region. Hemlington Grange will enable a high quality, high value residential development to be created within a high quality environmental setting, whilst at the same time contributing to the regeneration of the wider Hemlington area, making this in turn a more attractive and sustainable living environment. An important consideration to be addressed within the LDF is the relationship between the two developments, and how they can be progressed within the constraints placed on house building rates by the RSS. In both schemes the protection and enhancement of environmental assets is seen as integral to achieving a high quality of life.

SPATIAL OBJECTIVE 7

Establish an environment that encourages and supports economic vitality and quality of life that attracts both people and businesses to Middlesbrough.

 

This is an aspiration of the Community Strategy and will be delivered through the LDF by creating a policy framework and identifying development opportunities that maximises the potential for economic growth. It will be achieved through developments such as Greater Middlehaven and Greater Hemlington that will create attractive and high quality environments.

SPATIAL OBJECTIVE 8

Improve connectivity within Middlesbrough, the Tees Valley city region and to other regions.

 

Poor connectivity is seen as a barrier to growth in the Tees Valley city region. Successful regeneration and delivery of many of the priorities of the Council and its partners will require investment in the transport network and infrastructure. This will involve working with developers, Tees Valley Regeneration, neighbouring authorities, transport providers and operators, Regional Transport Board and the Highways Agency, to focus activity on:

 

• improving the rail and bus network;
• improving inter urban transport links between Middlesbrough and its neighbours; particularly Stockton town centre, Teesport and South Tees area;
• improving the strategic network, in particular the A66 and A19 trunk roads;
• improving access, particular by public transport, to key regeneration projects;
• improving links with Durham Tees Valley Airport; and
• improving accessibility from rural areas to the sub-regional centre and key facilities such as the James Cook University Hospital.

This will ensure that a sustainable transport network, which promotes a modal shift away from the car and is integrated with development, is achieved.

SPATIAL OBJECTIVE 9

Achieve high and sustainable levels of economic growth by supporting existing businesses and encouraging new ones to set up in Middlesbrough.

 

This will be achieved through identifying suitable sites for economic development and a policy framework that facilitates economic growth. Sites that will be identified within the LDF include Greater Middlehaven, Greater Hemlington, Riverside Park, and the town centre. Achievement of this objective needs to be seen in the context of taking forward complementary proposals within the Stockton and Middlesbrough areas to create a single competitive urban core.

SPATIAL OBJECTIVE 10

To reduce the amount of waste produced in Middlesbrough and increase the amount that is recycled.

 

It will be necessary for the LDF to identify mechanisms for reducing waste and, where necessary, sites for new waste facilities to
meet the waste management targets and apportionments identified in the RSS. Detailed policies regarding waste matters will be included in a Tees Valley Waste and Minerals DPD to be prepared jointly by the Tees Valley authorities.

SPATIAL OBJECTIVE 11

To protect the rural landscape and urban townscape from inappropriate development whilst encouraging modern innovative design.

 

The design of new development will need to be responsive to its context and setting, yet not repeating examples of poor design. Development will also need to make the best use of the land required to be developed, be accessible to all sections of the community, maximise energy efficiency and minimise pollution and waste. Poor design in any situation will not be acceptable.

SPATIAL OBJECTIVE 12

Maximise the benefits to be gained from natural resources, including the leisure and regeneration potential of water assets such as the Tees corridor, and the protection of areas of bio-diversity and natural beauty.

 

One of the themes of the Community Strategy is improving the local environment. The protection of Middlesbrough’s natural assets is an important strand in delivering the priorities associated with this theme. Opportunities will be sought to increase the bio-diversity resource, and expand the green network. The Council will work closely with its partners such as the Wildlife Trust and Groundwork to achieve this objective. Creation of the Green Blue Heart as part of the SMI, improvements to Riverside Park, and the redevelopment of Middlehaven will help maximise the regeneration potential of the River Tees and assist in delivering a sustainable city scale landscape appropriate to Middlesbrough’s role alongside Stockton at the centre of the Tees Valley city region. Regeneration activity should not damage the biodiversity that is dependent upon the River Tees.

SPATIAL OBJECTIVE 13

To establish an environment that enables residents to improve their quality of life through the provision of accessible and high quality education and health facilities.

 

This is a priority of the Community Strategy. Accessibility planning will be used to ensure that facilities are located so that they are accessible to the population that they intend to serve. The Council will work with its partners to ensure that all facilities are of a high quality and meet the needs of the population and that high standards of health and education attainment are achieved. This will include working with:

 

• Middlesbrough College to facilitate its proposals for relocation to Middlehaven and improvements to its education offer;
• University of Teesside to enable its continued expansion and growth and helping to ensure that the local and wider Tees Valley economies benefit from its continued success; and
• the Primary Care Trust in identifying a site for a new community hospital.

Rationalisation of primary school provision in East Middlesbrough will help to deliver better, more focused education facilities to that part of the town, and the Building Schools for the Future programme will result in a higher standard of education in improved facilities at secondary school level.

SPATIAL OBJECTIVE 14

To ensure that Middlesbrough has a network of accessible, high quality greenspaces and sport and recreation facilities that meet local needs and enhance the ‘livability’ of the town, promote sustainability, support bio-diversity and makes the best use of land.

 

It will be necessary for the LDF to include an open space strategy that will assist in the delivery of an effective and high quality open space network. An over-riding policy priority should be to enhance existing provision where it is of value to local communities or serves a wider purpose, such as supporting wildlife and bio-diversity or performing a strategic function. Opportunities to rationalise some existing spaces by changing their nature in order to better meet local needs or to dispose of some sites in order to concentrate available revenue resources on driving up the quality of other spaces and facilities will also need to be considered.