EXECUTIVE MEMBER REPORT TO COUNCIL WEDNESDAY 5TH DECEMBER 2012

DEVELOPMENT DIVISION

1. Grove Hill – second new scheme approved - the planning application from Erimus for development of the former School site was approved on 20 September. This provided for 44 new dwellings on the site for sale and rent. This will mean the second new housing scheme will now commence as part of the areas for regeneration.

2. £5.5m Investment in Grove Hill - the Council and Erimus Housing have entered into an innovative Joint Venture (JV) agreement that has generated an investment fund of £5.5m to progress the redevelopment of the Grove Hill area. The first priority of the funding will be to complete the acquisition of the private properties in the area that had stalled as a consequence of the Government funding cuts. Further priorities for the fund will be agreed by Executive Member and Erimus..

3. Grey Towers and Rose Cottage Housing sites - the planning permission for development of the Grey Towers Farm and Rose Cottage Housing sites have been issued. This followed the protracted consideration of the proposal by the Highways Agency. Grey Towers was also subject to the Secretary of State requiring further information. Subsequently, it was confirmed by the Government that the Council could issue the decision.

4. The remaining planning applications for the developments in south are:

a) Stainsby Hall Farm, Brookfield (343 houses); b) Headquarters site, Ladgate Lane (outline for residential developments; c) Grange (new Police Headquarters); d) Low Lane, Brookfield (77 houses)

5. These planning applications remain outstanding but the decisions are imminent, pending the completion of the legal agreement (Section 106) which would be attached to each of the prospective planning permissions.

6. S.H.A.R.E. (Stopping Hunger And Reducing Environmental waste) - a scheme is being developed in Middlesbrough Town Centre, aimed at rough sleepers, those in insecure housing or households in food poverty. An arrangement is being set up with town centre businesses whereby short shelf life foods, that would be thrown

1

out, are collected by church volunteers at the end of each day. The waste food will be distributed to those in need from a number of outlets, including existing food clubs, local charities for the vulnerable, hostels, supported housing schemes, day centres and refuges.

7. Middlehaven Developer Event - the Council and the Homes & Communities Agency are holding an event on the 22nd November for all perspective developers of the site. The aim is to showcase the site to perspective developers and show that Middlehaven is open for business. The approach will be to encourage further development of the site.

8. RSL Residential Development Sites - the Council is making good progress in the disposal of a number of residential development sites across Middlesbrough. There has been a significant level of interest from national housing developers, local housing developers and local Registered Providers across the sites. This has demonstrated that housing developers have an appetite to develop good quality housing in Middlesbrough, which has built momentum when marketing the sites. Sites that have recently been agreed for sale include: land adjacent to Trimdon Avenue; land south of James Cook University Hospital; the Wave; and, the former Netherfield House site.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, CULTURE AND COMMUNITY REGENERATION

9. Supporting Diversification into Micro Renewables - the Economic Development Team have been working with the National Renewable Energy Centre (Narec) to support local companies looking to explore opportunities in the micro-renewables market. The advice and accredited training helps companies involved in more traditional trades such as plumbing and electrical work to diversify into growing markets around solar panels, biomass boilers etc.

10. Taking DigitalCity Forward – the Council and University have strengthened their successful DigitalCity partnership, to respond to the challenge of growing the digital sector across the wider Tees Valley over the next three years. A new joint strategy is being developed for DigitalCity Business and DigitalCity Innovation that will see a renewed focus on the development of digital companies capable of rapid growth and significant wealth creation. A more coordinated promotional campaign will also be undertaken to increase the visibility of DigitalCity across the region.

11. Working For Teesside - the Economic Development Team has created 27 additional apprenticeships this year through a programme funded by the Middlesbrough and Teesside Philanthropic Foundation. The programme, which will ultimately provide 40 places when complete, is being delivered alongside the Flexible Support Fund, which will create a further 80 places – particularly among businesses taking on their first apprentices.

12. Back To Work Roadshow - the Economic Development Team has joined up with Redcar and Cleveland Council, eCruited and motivational speaker Des McCabe to host a seminar for unemployed professionals looking to get back into work. The seminar, which will provide support to over 100 jobseekers will focus on issues such as using social media to find work, ways to get your CV to the top of the pile and how to find work that is not advertised.

2

13. Regional Growth Fund Round Three - two Middlesbrough companies were among the successful bidders to the recently announced Regional Growth Fund Round 3. Chemical processing company Chemoxy secured £1.5 million towards a £6 million project that will create 15 new jobs and safeguard 30 others, whilst Magma Global secured £2.8 million of grant towards a £13 million investment in a new oil and gas pipeline manufacturing facility, creating 106 new jobs. In total, over £70 million was secured for Tees Valley, including programmes aimed at providing grant support for growing companies and warranty financing to enable local companies to bid for large contracts in the offshore wind market.

14. Town Centre Performance – footfall reported by the four shopping centres fell in June, July and August. The closure of the bus station was a contributory factor, although concern has been expressed that this has also changed footfall patterns around the town. Looking at footfall over the past years it is now 13.8% down in August 2012 compared to August 2008 with a national decline of just 2.6% nationally and a similar picture in May, June and July. The Mayor is to host a meeting with leading businesses to the town to look at what can be done to address this decline.

15. Town Centre Openings and Closures – TJ Hughes has re-opened its former store in Captain Cook Square. Nearby Internacionale has closed but a new tenant (toy and game retailer) is set to open before Christmas. Meanwhile the JJB store closed. Thomson has moved from Road near McDonalds to the premises adjacent to Café Nero. Yours clothing has opened in the Hill Street Centre, and refurbishment of premises on the elevation of the Cleveland Centre for both Diechmann (footwear) and Natwest bank are continuing.

16. Christmas Promotional Campaign – supporting a successful Christmas trading period is essential for the future sustainability of many businesses. The key events include the Christmas Lights Switch on (Thursday 15th November), Reindeer Parade and Community Carnival (Sunday 18th November), Christmas Food & Gift Market (Friday 30th November and Saturday 1st December) together with the Big Sing and Christmas Films. Promotion of the events and the town centre shopping offer will consist of distribution of the brochure to the potential catchment supported by advertising through media partners (radio and newspaper) and reinforced by social media.

17. Loan Sharks - working in partnership with West Middlesbrough Neighbourhood Trust (WMNT), the North Neighbourhood Management team is National Winner of a ‘Stop Loan Sharks’ award for outstanding endeavours to raise awareness of this crime. The Stop Loan Sharks awards are taking place for the first time this year, hosted by the England Illegal Money Lending Team and the Wales Illegal Money Lending Unit, to recognise those who have made a valuable contribution to highlighting the dangers of loan sharks in their communities. Almost 100 submissions were received and and WMNT beat eleven regional winners for national recognition.

18. Benefits and Money Advice Day - Gresham Ward and the ‘Jewel’ Streets were being targeted as part of a Benefits Advice day held at Newport Settlement Community Hub on 10th October. Fifteen agencies were on hand to help answer queries residents had about Welfare Benefits and money/debt issues. The event was the first in a series of events to increase resident’s knowledge and help them prepare for the imminent changes to the Benefits system. 3

19. Hub - work is underway to renovate and refurbish the library facility at Easterside Hub. The work will create a common entrance for the community centre/library, enabling one reception desk to manage all enquiries related to the services offered from the building. In addition to this, existing space within the library will be freed for community groups and youth related work.

20. – the Community Asset Transfer of Brambles Farm Community Centre to the Hope Foundation has been completed. Brambles Farm is the first building to transfer from the Council under the asset transfer scheme. Hope Foundation will lease the building from the Council on a 25 year lease and aim to deliver a variety of courses and activities that will have relevance to Brambles Farm residents. Most of the groups that meet in the centre have either been accommodated elsewhere or can rent rooms from Hope and continue to use the centre.

21. Hub - building work at Thorntree to accommodate the new Library is almost complete and it is hoped will be up and running by the end of November. The SureStart work to accommodate day care was completed on time and is and is functioning as a nursery.

22. Hub – work has started on Tuesday 23rd October and will be completed shortly after Christmas. The Hub will incorporate North Ormesby Library and a children’s day care facility. The day care facility will house some of the activities currently delivered by the Pavillion Project in Esk Street.

23. Voluntary Sector Liaison Team - attended Fresher’s fortnight at , as well as two Social Action Fairs to promote volunteering opportunities with the Council. A best practice event has been planned for managers of volunteers on 1st October. A student from has completed a work placement, carrying out research into support for volunteers. Forty eight new volunteers have been recruited to the Council during quarter 2, including 3 graduate volunteers.

24. Family Learning Festival - the National Family Learning Festival is the biggest annual celebration of family learning in the UK. Every year, organisations across the country put on thousands of activities that bring families together for fun and informal learning. In Middlesbrough the Library Service hosted a variety of events during half term which included ‘Zoolab’ sessions at Acklam and Libraries on the theme Jeepers Creepers, a Comic Book Art Workshop and a Love your Library coffee morning at Hemlington Library.

25. Discover the Central Library - as part of the Central Library’s continuing centenary celebrations and its contribution to Discover Middlesbrough users were offered a combined heritage handling session and a tour of the Central Library building as it was in 1912.

26. Health & Wellbeing in Libraries - Middlesbrough Library Service in partnership with Blind Voice UK and other libraries in the region supported National Eye Health Week in September by hosting an eye health awareness morning at Acklam Library. Blind Voice UK was on hand to answer questions on eye health and visual impairment, whilst library staff demonstrated libraries’ Guide software and large

4

print and spoken word stock. Winter warmth advice was also given by health improvement specialists.

27. Friends of Marton Library - the Friends of Marton Library goes from strength to strength. The group now has its own logo designed by a local pupil. The group not only supports the library service with initiatives like the Summer Reading Challenge, but hosts a programme of regular events ranging from walks to coffee mornings. The last coffee morning raised £200 for MacMillan Cancer relief with 141 people supporting the event.

28. Get Online Week - Get Online Week is a national campaign ran from 15th – 21st October. Sessions were held in libraries throughout the week to help people use online resources and learn basic computer skills. A local history study group was launched from which regular sessions will be held to discover local history through a variety of online and printed resources.

29. ‘WorldJam’ in Central Library - ‘WorldJam’ is a festival which aims to highlight and celebrate the diversity of the 21st Century library service, offering events in a range of subjects, reflecting the nature of the books and materials we stock. Events included an Agatha Christie and the Art Deco movement event, a Mind, Body and Spirit Fair selling Christmas gifts and alternative therapies and the launch of local Teesside University student Patience Ezinwoke’s children’s book, ‘Flowers in the Ghetto’.

30. Christmas - this year's Christmas events programme launched on 15 November with the Lights Switch On in the Town Centre hosted by TFM, and the Reindeer Parade on 18 November which involved participation from around 500 local children and young people. This year's pantomime, Peter Pan starring John Challis (Only Fools and Horses' Boycie) is selling well with more sales and advance reservations than the same time last year.

31. Classical Concert Series - the Arts Council has awarded £52,000 to support the programming and development of the Classical Programme at the Town Hall in 2012/13. This will enable the delivery of the main concert series, a programme of activity to develop audiences and engage with schools, and a programme of support for emerging local musicians. In November there will be performances from Northern Sinfonia with Handel's Messiah and the Prague Symphony Orchestra.

32. Town Hall Music Hub - the development of the Town Hall as a music hub for the sub-region steps up a gear with the launch of Mus:inc, a Teesside-wide project funded by Youth Music with a grant of £200,000 for developing opportunities for young people in challenging circumstances to take part in music activities. The project is led by Middlesbrough from the Town Hall and November will see the launch of small grants to support new music-making activities, and a professional development programme to support musicians and youth workers.

33. 2-Live Ticketing – the new box office system and on-live ticketing are bedding in well with the final component, the new website, due to go live shortly. On line sales have growth eight-fold over the last three months.

34. Museums – the Arts Council has granted £50k to Captain Cook Museum to redevelop parts of the main galleries, specifically to incorporate elements of the ‘Pacific Journey’s’ exhibition which was part of the Cultural Olympiad and held at 5

Dorman Museum over the summer. The work will involve volunteers in developing the new gallery space and it will be completed for the Museum reopening in March 2013. mima

35. There has been positive feedback about mima’s Julian Stair exhibition (on until 25 November) from the national and international press and visitors alike.

36. Loans out from the collection this October include a significant loan of the gallery’s American drawing collection to the Mead gallery at the University of Warwick, for an exhibition opening in October this year. This is the largest loan of this collection to date and represents its importance and desirability nationally.

37. mima has recently acquired several important works through Art Fund International, including works by Carl Andre, Ishmael Randal Weeks and Andrea Bowers, which will be shown at Turner Contemporary gallery early next year. The Carl Andre piece will be shown at mima as part of a solo exhibition of his work in June 2013.

38. Two successful events took place in October driving awareness of mima’s new café run by Teesside University. A lively public family day brought in over 100 visitors for offers, face-painting and family entertainment, and a business-focused event brought in 50 people from the local business community to sample the new offer.

39. mima is soon to be launching a major art competition in partnership with the Middlesbrough and Teesside Philanthropic Foundation. Members of the community including schools, community groups and individuals, will be invited to make an artwork on a postcard, with prize money donated to local charitable causes. Entries will be displayed in an exhibition at mima in early 2013.

40. A re-launch of the gallery’s mima friends scheme with extra benefits and more opportunities to get closer to the collection at mima is taking place this November. Match funding through the Catalyst grant from the Arts Council, will allow mima to double its friends membership income.

6