Gresham revival takes a step forward

Work started back in March, but due to Covid restrictions, the official ceremony to celebrate this fantastic milestone has waited until now.

The scheme, known as ‘Union Village ’, signifies the union of the old development with the new, is being delivered by Thirteen and will focus on land between Diamond Road and Union Street.

The development will see the delivery and build of new, affordable and much-needed homes, which form ambitious plans to regenerate part of central Middlesbrough by bringing derelict land back to life.

The first phase will start with the delivery of 145 homes, with phase two planned for 2022, adding a further 77 homes to the housing scheme.

The new high-quality homes will all be for affordable rent and include two to four-bedroom homes with a mix of houses, apartments, and bungalows.

Thirteen is investing over £30m into the housing scheme, as well as funding from Homes England and £3.6m from the Government's Brownfield Housing Fund, which will see the first new homes available for rent in summer 2022.

Thirteen’s director of strategic partnerships, Sharon Thomas, said,

“This long-awaited milestone is another step towards bringing much needed new homes to Gresham, and so much hard work has gone into making it happen.

“It’s a really exciting scheme, and we’re thrilled to be working with Middlesbrough Council and the Middlesbrough Mayor, the Tees Valley Combined Authority and Tees Valley Mayor as well as Homes England and other partners to deliver these fantastic new homes in the heart of the town, contributing to the revival of this historic neighbourhood."

Middlesbrough Mayor Andy Preston said: “Gresham’s been neglected and let down for far too long, but that’s all changing now.

“Union Village is an amazing scheme that will deliver the sort of great quality, affordable homes that are key to our plans to revitalise the town centre.

“Our fantastic partnership with Thirteen is setting the standard for new housing across Middlesbrough for many years to come.”