£250m Teesside ‘digital city’ project set to create over 2,000 jobs

A £250m project designed to establish Middlesbrough as a key tech hub in the UK has been launched this week.

The project, which will create around 2,000 jobs in total, will begin with an initial £45m phase set to transform Teesside’s skyline through the construction of office and residential high-rise towers.

In addition, the development will see the creation of a new ‘digital campus’, a 750-seat indoor amphitheatre beneath a glass atrium and a 400-seat outdoor amphitheatre.

According to Middlesbrough’s mayor Andy Preston, planning consent for the development will be sought within a matter of weeks, with construction expected to begin next summer.

Middlesbrough Mayor Andy Preston commented: “For the next few years my obsession, my mission, my purpose on this planet is to get Middlesbrough on track as the digital city for the UK.

“This is a £45m first step of a quarter of a billion pounds scheme that will propel Middlesbrough on a journey to become the UK’s digital capital - bringing investment, jobs and prosperity to the town.

“We want our existing digital businesses to grow, regional businesses to realise this is the place to be, and national and international businesses to be attracted here.”

The £30m office development is being joint-funded by the Tees Valley Combined Authority and Middlesbrough Council, which includes £26.5m from the Combined Authority’s £588m 10-year Investment Plan. The council will contribute £3.5m, with a further £15m investment in residential accommodation by a third party consortium.

Tees Valley Combined Authority Mayor Ben Houchen added: “This is another transformational project for the Tees Valley which shows just what can happen when Mayors work together.

“I’m delighted to support Mayor Preston’s bold vision to develop Middlesbrough into the digital powerhouse of the UK – and send out a strong message that ‘Boro’s on the up – literally!”