Developer's ten-year commitment set to continue
Developer Ashall Projects has helped transform the heart of Middlesbrough during the past decade.
First, it was part of the team which financed and built the Holiday Inn Express, the town’s biggest hotel. Now, nearly ten years later Mark Ashall and his fellow investors are on the verge of welcoming guests to a new development of luxury serviced apartments – Station Suites.
In between Ashall Projects has built three Grade A office buildings in Centre Square which have attracted high profile employers, creating new jobs and ensuring that existing ones remained on Teesside.
“I look back with a great deal of satisfaction,” said Mark, the grandson of the founder of a family business, which began building houses in the 1930s. “That’s of course because of the quality of the buildings and the benefits they’ve brought, but also because of the way these projects came together during one of the most challenging times for developers in the regions. Most satisfying of all though is seeing local people taking advantage of the job opportunities that have been created at the hotel and elsewhere and the commitment they have shown even in the most difficult circumstances, such as during Covid.”
Mark recognised that there was a gap in Middlesbrough’s provision of both hotels and high quality office space, but knew that the only way to redress this was through working closely with the town’s council and the Tees Valley Combined Authority after it came into being nine years ago.
“It was so refreshing to find that the council bought into our vision and also saw the opportunities that existed in the centre of the town,” he said. “The council leaders and their planning teams just weren’t prepared to accept the narrative of the status quo. They understood that it would require everyone working together to change that. That set the standard for what we were able to achieve with the Holiday Inn Express and everything that followed.”
Middlesbrough Council provided a loan of nearly half the cost of building the £12m Holiday Inn Express – which opened in August 2015 – and then a further loan to part fund the extension of the hotel. That brought the number of rooms to 159. They are all in the process of being enhanced through a £1m upgrade programme. The first phase has been completed and the second phase is scheduled for later this year.
After the successful opening of Holiday Inn Express, Mark turned his attention to Centre Square area in the heart of an area which had developed in the nineteenth century as the focal point for industry and commerce and then became the hub for local government, culture and justice.
“Our ambition – shared with local political leaders and their officers - was to establish Centre Square as the commercial heart of Middlesbrough and the whole of the Tees Valley,” he said.
The result is nearly 150,000 sq. ft of Grade A office space across three buildings (1, 2 and 6 Centre Square) which have become the workplaces for around 1,500 people. This year 80 staff who work for the giant holiday company TUI group moved into 6 Centre Square which already accommodates 500 employees of another well known business, the insurance giant AXA UK.
“Major projects like these don’t happen overnight,” commented Mark. “Before building work even starts a great deal of time and effort is required to research the local market and design buildings which meet local requirements and, for the second phase, the pandemic complicated matters further. But it is a testament to the vision and trust demonstrated by both the council, TVCA and our team that we have achieved so much during such a difficult time.”
He added: “Middlesbrough was a very different place when we first got involved 10 years ago. There was little investment and companies looking to move or expand were by-passing the town and going elsewhere because there was so little to attract them.
“By contrast, the area has now become a magnet for businesses looking to play their role in Net Zero Teesside and the freeport as a whole while Darlington is already starting to see the benefit of the 1,000 civil servants who have arrived at the Economic Campus. This creates different sorts of challenges: there is a need for more top quality office provision and more hotel accommodation. There has been much talk about a skills shortage in the Tees Valley but I think there’s also a serious shortage of all forms of accommodation. It is important that the region takes full advantage of the opportunities that have been created by putting in the necessary supporting infrastructure”
Ashall Projects – and the same group of private investors behind the Holiday Inn Express –is making the first steps in redressing this by opening Station Suites later in the Spring. The 42 spacious serviced apartments will offer guests “home from home plus” affordable luxury in a location which is walking distance from Middlesbrough railway station.
“This area’s going to see a big influx of contractors and consultants and, while the Holiday Inn Express continues to do a great job in looking after people staying for short periods, Station Suites will provide additional space and in-room amenities which will be attractive to people planning to stay in Teesside for longer spells. It will be managed by the award-winning team from the Holiday Inn Express so guests will also benefit from their expertise and fantastic can-do attitude,” said Mark.
He added: “We’ve helped bring about positive changes and we want to achieve even more. We want to build further offices to encourage more businesses to move to the area and create jobs, and we want to provide the quality and scale of accommodation the area’s going to need.
“This latest investment in Station Suites is a testament to our long-standing commitment to Middlesbrough and Teesside as a whole.”
That commitment is also reflected in the way the Holiday Inn Express plays a vital role in supporting its local community. It provides work experience and support for students, helps promote and raise funds for a large number of good causes and has become a popular meeting place for many local organisations and charities.
- Ashall Projects is looking at other projects in the area and is inviting companies who have secured contracts across the Tees Valley to discuss their accommodation needs. Email ashall@ashallproperty.com
- Get in touch with Cluster General Manager Laura Telford for further information on Station Suites or the Holiday Inn Express through gm@hiexmiddlesbrough.co.uk