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New development means Teessiders can stay local and still go far

Six Centre Square – the stunning addition to Teesside’s skyline – will welcome its first employees in a few weeks’ time.

Hundreds of people who work for the insurance giant AXA UK will enjoy some of the best office facilities in the North East as well as easy access to Middlesbrough’s rail and bus links, shops, restaurants and bars.

Teesside University, the award-winning Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art (MIMA) and the Holiday Inn Express are also just a short walk away. 

Six Centre Square – which was constructed on the site of a vacant derelict building – was completed on budget and on time by developer Ashall Projects.  AXA UK has taken up more than half the space and it is now being fitted out in advance of the arrival of 450 of its staff.

But there is still room for more occupiers.  Office suites from 2,500-10,000 sq ft are available on the ground and top floors. The top floor provides clear views of all of the major local landmarks - Roseberry Topping, the Transporter Bridge and the Riverside Stadium – and throughout the building a light, airy working environment has been created.

Six Centre Square has a BREEAM Very Good rating and was built with a number of energy efficient and sustainable features.  It has photovoltaic panels on the roof, a solar hot water system, a rainwater harvesting system and heating and cooling and mechanical ventilation systems with heat recovery.  As a result, energy usage is projected to be less than half that of older office buildings in the region.

Ashall Projects Managing Director Mark Ashall thinks it will not be long before 6 Centre Square is fully occupied, with businesses - perhaps needing a headquarters or office space to support one of the many projects underway at Teesworks or the wider Tees Valley – joining AXA. 

In January Ashall Projects handed over the keys of 6 Centre Square to the Tees Valley Combined Authority which has invested £9.7million in this latest phase of the development and now owns the building.  Middlesbrough Council has also contributed £2million of its £21.9million Towns Fund allocation from Central Government to the project.

“We are hugely grateful to them for recognising that this project could play a key role in regenerating the town centre,” said Mr Ashall.  

“We faced a lot of challenges – the tail end of COVID restrictions, supply chain difficulties and, latterly, the impact of inflation – so we are particularly proud to have delivered this fantastic new asset for Middlesbrough.”

Ashall Projects has already delivered two other Grade A office buildings in the first phase of the Centre Square project.

They are now 90% occupied and the seven companies who have moved there employ around 1,000 people, including many new members of staff.  Since relocating to Centre Square the XPS Pension Group, for instance, has increased its number of employees from 80 to 140.  The company said its growth would not have been possible without the move. 

Mr Ashall said: “That’s a realisation of the vision we shared with Middlesbrough Council when we first started discussing Centre Square’s potential.  The centre of town did not have the type of quality office space which would attract good employers.  They either stayed where they were or, if they were looking for more room to expand, they would move elsewhere. 

“Centre Square has not only stopped this trend it has created a new vibrant business hub for the whole of the Tees Valley.  It has also brought back much-needed spending power to the heart of Middlesbrough.”

Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen said the new building will bring far-reaching benefits to the area. “Six Centre Square is yet another example that shows young people can stay close to home and go far – raising families here and contributing to our economy.”

He added: “Given all our success in bringing major Government departments to Darlington, with more than 2,000 civil service jobs available, our investment in Six Centre Square was simply a no-brainer. The vision for Centre Square is an impressive one – and across Teesside, Darlington and Hartlepool we’re helping to create lifechanging opportunities and paths to careers on our doorstep.

“Professional services companies looking to grow or break new ground are now choosing Teesside due to the fantastic facilities we’ve got to offer.”

His comments were echoed by Middlesbrough Mayor Andy Preston, who said: “Centre Square is a great success story for Middlesbrough. It’s becoming a true hive of activity for ambitious firms who want the very best accommodation and locations.

“Six Centre Square is an excellent addition to our town centre and we’re supporting it to retain and attract more jobs for Middlesbrough.

“We’re making real progress in transforming our town centre so it has the right mix of leisure, learning, living and jobs.”

Two hundred people worked on the construction stage of the latest Centre Square phase. Fourteen new jobs were created, with half of them going to people who had been unemployed for more than a year.  Eight apprentices also worked on the site.  More than £6million was spent on local suppliers. 

Outline planning permission is already in place for the next stage of the development.