Boho Five, the next phase of Middlesbrough’s DigitalCityBusiness (DCB) development, has started on site - a major milestone for a key strand in the town’s economic regeneration plans.
It's also part of the wider Middlehaven area, which is one of the north-east’s largest and most exciting regeneration schemes.
Boho Five is a £4 million project being built on land owned by the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA), jointly funded by the HCA and the European Regional Development Fund Competitive Programme 2007-13 (ERDF), and is delivered by Middlesbrough Council.
A highly quality building designed specifically for the digital and creative sectors, Boho Five will sit close to the existing buildings within Middlesbrough’s Boho Zone working to complement the nearby Boho One. Boho Five is on the corner of Bridge Street East and Windward Way in Middlesbrough. This new office builds on the success of Boho One, opened in 2009, also with ERDF funding which hosts 16 businesses providing 180 local jobs.
There will be an official launch to mark the beginning of construction work on Tuesday 5thAugust with a short address by the Middlesbrough Mayor, Ray Mallon and other key partners. The building will be open for business in April 2015. The office project will see the creation of 37 jobs by the end of 2015 and 105 jobs by the end 2017.
At over 24,000 sq ft, the new building is designed for the specific needs of the digital and creative sectors providing:
Informal space for pre-start companies and potential entrepreneurs exploring business ideas
Fast start incubation space for companies starting up or progressing from being home-based
Flexible space to accommodate the rapid growth phases of more developed companies
Project spaces for use by companies requiring short term capacity.
Boho Five is developed in partnership by the HCA and Middlesbrough Council, who will operate the building in close partnership with DCB. Boho Five will be fully integrated with the management arrangements for Boho One, to provide a seamless offer to cluster companies and potential entrepreneurs, supported directly by the business development services provided by DCB.
Chris Munro, Area Manager at the HCA, said: “The start on site of Boho 5 is another step forward for Middlehaven by ensuring that local creative businesses have the right environment to ensure their success and by helping deliver DigitalCityBusiness for the Council. The success of the Boho development is another example of the recent good news in Middlehaven with the new college expansion due to open this autumn followed shortly afterwards by the Urban Park.”
Award-winning firm Xsite architecture has designed the new building which follows the Middlehaven iconic colourful modern theme. Xsite architecture has been involved with the Boho Zone area from its inception in 2005 designing Boho One, Boho Two (Bohouse) and undertaking refurbishment of Gibson House (Boho Four) to create digital office space.
Esh Build, part of the Esh Group, has been appointed to construct the £3.2 million new building. This firm is highly experienced with brownfield sites and is currently also constructing the STEM building for Middlesbrough College nearby.
Middlesbrough Deputy Mayor Councillor Dave Budd added: “We are very pleased to see work starting on this next phase of the Boho Zone which forms a key strand of our regeneration strategy. Boho Five will be fully integrated with the management arrangements for Boho One, to provide a seamless offer to cluster companies and potential entrepreneurs, supported directly by DCB. This is a thriving sector and we are confident of Boho Five’s ability to further transform Middlesbrough’s digital economy.”
