Urban Initiatives were appointed to prepare
a Development Framework for Middlehaven
in 2010. The challenges to regeneration
in Middlehaven were significant. An
underperforming national economy, a weak local
property market, dried up public funding and the
lack of an established sense of place meant that
Middlehaven needed not only a strong vision, but
one that was routed in a strategy for delivery.
The clients ambition was to transform
Middlehaven into a great urban living and working
neighbourhood, however it was clear from the
outset that this would not happen using the
same delivery models that had failed previously.

The huge scale of the scheme combined with
the weakness of the market meant we had to
find a different solution, one that could harness
the enthusiasm and energy of local people and
smaller developers to deliver transformational and
innovative development over time.

Urban Initiatives had authored ‘Start with the
Park’ for Cabe a few years before and here was
an opportunity to put those principles into action.
To use a new urban park to catalyse change in
Middlehaven; a park located in the heart of the
area that could help to frame Middlesbrough’s
most iconic structure, The Transporter Bridge, and
that could create a setting for new development
delivered as part of our ‘Urban Pioneers’
programme.