Middlesbrough Mayor Andy Preston recently joined Thirteen’s director of Strategic Partnerships to mark the start on site at Gresham in Middlesbrough.
Work started back in March, but due to COVID restrictions, the official ceremony to celebrate the milestone had to be delayed.
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 homes, which form plans to regenerate part of central Middlesbrough by bringing derelict land back into use.
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 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.
‘Long-awaited milestone’
Commenting on the visit, 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.”
Thirteen owns and manages around 35,000 properties in the North East and Yorkshire, with the majority in the Tees Valley.
Main image: (l-r) Sharon Thomas, director of Strategic Partnerships at Thirteen with Middlesbrough Mayor Andy Preston
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