Middlesbrough – on the ropes or fighting fit?

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There’s fighting talk down by the old docks. Yet another headline-grabbing piece of research recently emerged with their town at the bottom of the heap - this time a BBC-backed report highlighting Middlesbrough’s vulnerability in the face of the economic downturn and looming public sector spending cuts.

The Boro’s been here before, but its movers and shakers are, understandably, on the defensive.

The town’s PR machine kicked in quickly with threats about an underdog that was ready to bite back. It talked of education facilities so new they have not been included in outdated surveys, a digital media industry that is years ahead of rivals and a ‘green energy base’ that will supply the rest of the UK.

What’s more, it professed itself ‘more grim in our determination than all the negative headlines put together’.

The town’s leaders - elected Mayor Ray Mallon is usually first in the queue - are clearly not going to take it lying down, but just how many more times can one town be knocked out and left apparently lifeless on the canvas?

This vibrant town had explosive growth in the Industrial Revolution, prompting Gladstone to dub it an ‘infant Hercules’. Middlesbrough then put itself at the heart of Britain’s chemical sector (remember a certain Imperial Chemical Industries ICI?) and then recovered from its decimation with yet more determination to find other economic avenues to pursue.

The trouble is that historically, many of these avenues seem to end up as
run-down cul-de-sacs, leaving Middlesbrough folk a little more battered each time, even if they remain unbowed. Flagship projects such as the Middlehaven regeneration of the former docks area have had false dawn after false dawn, with Middlesbrough FC’s Riverside Stadium standing lonely for years.

Now at least it has Middlesbrough College’s stunning new building as a near neighbour, and work is in evidence nearby on the Riverside One flats, offices and retail and leisure development.

Construction is the focus of Andy Preston, 44, one of a new breed of defenders of the Middlesbrough faith. He grew up in Acklam and made his money as a hedge fund manager in the City of London.

Having chosen to return home to the region, Andy has developed a range of property interests, mostly under the umbrella of Green Lane Capital, which he runs with his brother, Christopher. These include a £2.5m transformation of what was Kirby College, in Linthorpe, into 21 apartments, and the refurbishment of 35,000sq ft of currently disused industrial workspace in Skelton, East Cleveland.

Mr Preston’s interests are wide - he also chairs the regional committee of Fairbridge, a charity supporting disadvantaged young people aged 13 to 25 that has its base just a few streets from Green Lane’s offices in the
swanky Boho One complex near the railway station.

He’s remarkably frank about the uphill struggle facing the town and the wider region, as well as the decades of inertia and well-meaning mistakes.

‘We are in a recession now, but we have also been through an unprecedented global construction boom, from the mid-1990s to 2007, that largely passed Middlesbrough by, and that’s a crime,’ he says.

Mr Preston believes some major treatment is called for. ‘I believe in positive thinking and talking things up, but if you’ve got cancer, you should also go and see a surgeon,’ he warns.

‘There are lots of things that can be done, but there is no one silver bullet that’s going to solve Middlesbrough’s problems - there are lots of silver bullets that need to be fired.’

Unsurprisingly for a property investor/developer, he sees a key role for the provision of quality business accommodation close to Middlesbrough’s heart in helping to create a virtuous circle to help pull in top-notch retailers, restaurants and other leisure providers. This would, he argues, all help to make the town a more attractive proposition for residents and visitors alike.

Mr Preston hints at some major projects in the pipeline, with significant personal investment backing up his conviction. He also points to Middlesbrough’s bid for city status in 2012 as an important springboard to put the town at the heart of regeneration for Teesside, citing the example of Newcastle’s pivotal role at the centre of Tyneside’s reinvention.

With a population of about 140,000, Middlesbrough is one of the UK’s largest towns. Teesside is also the largest conurbation in England that does not have a city at its heart. The Queen is expected to declare new UK cities to mark her diamond jubilee in 2012.

‘I feel hugely positive - there’s an opportunity to build a 21st century
city, almost from scratch,’ says the visionary father-of-two.
Sharing this positivity are lovemiddlesbrough and visitmiddlesbrough.com, websites that embody the town’s collective approach to talking up its strengths. They are a must-sees for visitors looking for ideas on what to see and do in and around the town, as well as places to shop and eat.

For example, running until November 21 at mima (Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art) is High Kicks and Low Life - a chance to see more than 50 works from the British Museum’s collection of Toulouse-Lautrec’s art.

Members Comments

• Comment by: Martonway 05 November 2010 - 11:46

  In my humble opinion - not that it counts for much - is that Middlesbrough's so-called 'problem' is that it is a town with city issues. I have travelled the country and believe me, there are thousands of towns that should get a rougher time in the press than Middlesbrough does. Middlesbrough is a thirving town with a world-class university, hospital and retail centre. It has a strong football team, respected art gallery in the form of mima, beautiful Victorian parks and pretty outlying areas such as Marton, Nunthorpe, Great Ayton, Maltby and Stainton. The future also looks bright with its state of the art college and the new dawn of Middlehaven. The problem is that Middlesbrough's success has lead to its city-type problems in terms of crime etc. If you look at just the neighbouring towns of Billingham, Hartlepool and Stockton they don't even compare, which is why I always find it strange when people are negative about the place. Lets hope Middlesbrough finally gets the title it deserves in 2012. And even though I'm not originally from the town, it will be a proud day for me and thousands of other proud residents.

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• Comment by: allsfairUK 08 July 2011 - 15:57

  Nice to hear from a Resident whether originally from middlebrough or not "Martonway" we should be proud that you have decided to make it your home and i'm sure the whole of middlesbrough echos your words. I also have to say its hard to listen to "city business people" comment on Middlesbrough when they don't actually live in Middlesbrough or indeed in Teesside, often these people sezie opertunities to make money then when its all dried up they pop back off to "the city" or country houses - Middlesbrough does not have Cancer and i'm not sure changing colleges into appartments is the way forward.

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