£14.5m funding for latest Northern School of Art campus in Middlesbrough approved

Funding for a multi-million-pound building for The Northern School of Art’s further education campus has been approved.

The Tees Valley Mayor and Combined Authority Cabinet have given their seal of approval for the new, post-16 campus.

The £14.5m scheme will see the school’s college-level campus relocating from its existing Acklam base to a purpose-built, three-storey building in Middlesbrough.

It will create new teaching space for the North East’s only specialist art and design college, which provides arts, design, theatre and film courses.

Figures released this month by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) have revealed an increase in TV and film production across the country and the sector - supposedly growing quicker in this region than any other English region (excluding London).

The school was recognised in the Tees Valley Strategic Economic Plan (SEP) as offering significant opportunities for growth in the economy and employment.

Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen said: “I’m delighted to have been able to provide funding so that The Northern School of Art can relocate its Acklam campus from the old, outdated buildings it currently occupies to a state-of-the-art, purpose-built building in the centre of Middlesbrough.

“The school is hugely important to the whole of the Tees Valley, and its reputation as a national centre for excellence in the art, design and creative sectors will be strengthened thanks to the new facility this funding will provide.

“The education and training on offer will give them the skills they need to succeed, as creative sectors begin to play an ever bigger role in the region’s economy. It will also help the School achieve its university aspirations and go on to bigger and better things.”

The School has been working closely with the Mayor, Combined Authority and Middlesbrough Council on the development of the project, which features in the Tees Valley Investment Plan, agreed in January 2019.

The relocation proposal is the result of studies of potential sites and other options plus an economic study of the impact of the scheme and benefits it could bring to the Tees Valley.

If plans are approved, the school’s new 5,200 sq m college level campus building will be located on the site of the former Denmark Street car park, opposite the BBC studios and adjacent to the town centre Sainsbury’s store.

Dr Martin Raby, The Northern School of Art’s Principal, said that the approval of funding is part of a major step forward by the school, which changed its name from Cleveland College of Art and Design (CCAD) in 2018 and has a 140-year-old heritage.

He added: “This is an exciting new chapter for the school which, if our subsequent planning application is approved, will provide a new sustainable, state-of-the art building and bring new life to the western end of Middlesbrough.

“As the region’s only specialist creative institution, it makes sense for our campus to be closer to Boho in Middlesbrough and at the heart of the creative and digital cluster in Middlesbrough.

“Our school not only offers real, practical skills in a range of courses - from design, fashion, clothing to art, television and film production - but we also have a track record of supporting students through improvements in their English and Maths qualifications.”