A public exhibition will give people the chance to see and give their views on detailed plans for the development of Middlesbrough’s Centre Square East.
Ashall Projects is proposing to transform land around Centre Square by developing high quality Grade A office accommodation, new public realm, landscaping, food and beverage space.
Up to 1,500 jobs could be created if plans are given the go-ahead.
On Friday 24 February Ashall Projects will be hosting a public consultation event to seek the views of the community on a proposal for a Grade A office development at Centre Square East.
The public consultation will be a drop-in session held at the Central Library in Centre Square, Middlesbrough TS1 2AY from 10am – 4pm. The consultation period will run for two weeks following the event and people will be able to view the exhibition boards in the Central Library. Information about the proposal will also be available on www.centre-square.co.uk during this period.
Members of the public will be asked their views on the proposed development. Centre Square has the potential to be a centre for business activity capable of providing the best office accommodation between Leeds to the south and Newcastle to the north, providing a significant boost to the local economy.
Mark Ashall, Director of Ashall Projects, said: “Our proposals set out new office accommodation surrounded by public amenity space. We’re seeking to add to and enhance the quality environment that already exists. An important part of this scheme is to maintain and invest in the public realm and green space.
“We believe, and the research we have commissioned supports this, that the successful major towns and cities in the future will be those who can attract a core of employers who provide knowledge intensive jobs and a wide array of amenities and supporting infrastructure.
“Middlesbrough currently has a good level of retail provision but has a lower proportion of office workers than the other major conurbations in the regions and lacks the amount of quality office space needed to attract the employers and jobs required to increase this proportion.
“We will present plans for Centre Square at a public consultation later this month. Feedback is vital and forms an integral part of the planning process. Comments will be considered ahead of the submission of the formal planning application in March.”
Cheshire-based Ashall Projects has previously worked on the redevelopment of Centre Square, converting part of the Cleveland Centre into the highly successful Holiday Inn Express hotel.
The company has experience developing major office schemes, including the Cobalt Business Park in North Tyneside, which has circa two million sq ft of office space. Major occupiers there include Orange, Proctor and Gamble, Hewlett Packard, IBM, Santander and Northumbria NHS.