Agenda and minutes

In the event the fire alarm sounds attendees will be advised to evacuate the building via the nearest fire exit and assemble at the Bottle of Notes opposite MIMA.

The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting and explained the Fire Evacuation Procedure.

To receive any declarations of interest.

There were no declarations of interest received at this point in the meeting.

The minutes of the Place Scrutiny Panel meeting held on 27 October 2025 were submitted and approved as a correct record.

The Director of Regeneration will be in attendance to provide an overview of the Town Centre Board/Place Leaders Partnership.

Recommendation: that the Panel determines what further information will be required for this scrutiny investigation

The Director of Regeneration was in attendance and provided a presentation on the Town Centre Board and Place Leaders Partnership.

It was advised that the Place Leaders Partnership had been formed in collaboration with partner organisations all of whom had a stake in Middlesbrough and worked together to inform the Council’s Place Strategy. The Town Centre Strategy and Investment Prospectus sat within the Place Strategy. In recent times, the space to discuss plans collectively had been lost so the Partnership had been formed to begin to develop a shared vision for the town.

It had been identified that there was a need to shift perception when planning and given the difficulty of engaging with every demographic simultaneously and the high percentage of young people in Middlesbrough, it was decided that a focus would be put on younger people and having a vision to make Middlesbrough the UK’s most creative place for young people to live, learn and realise their future. It was clarified that in this instance, the term ‘young people’ was nuanced, as it could refer to children, young adults, those early in their careers and more. This perspective would allow the Council an opportunity to make a difference in the longer term by:

•        Providing young people with as many reasons to visit our town as possible

•        Providing positive multicultural and sharable experiences

•        A bold, future-focused offer built on creativity, innovation and inclusivity

•        Anchored in Middlesbrough’s digital, engineering and cultural strengths

•        Linked to the town’s 2030 Bicentenary ambitions and plans.

The Director went on to explain the overarching aims of the Council’s Place Strategy which were:

•        To Make Middlesbrough a destination of opportunity for young people

•        To connect culture, business and community for shared prosperity

•        To build experiences that are accessible, affordable and transformative

•        To foster pride, belonging and empowerment through opportunity.

The desired impacts of the Strategy were also discussed as follows:

•        Inspire youth engagement and ambition

•        Boost Middlesbrough’s reputation and visitor economy

•        Strengthen community pride and cohesion

•        Retain graduates and attract new business investment

•        Animate the town centre and heritage spaces.

The Council’s strategic narrative centered around the following goals that would allow the town centre to thrive in the future:

•        Attracting young people, with a tailored offer supporting them across all areas

•        Investing in housing, education, access to skills and culture experiences

•        Building pathways into local employment and entrepreneurship

•        Making the town centre a hub for creativity, innovation and collaboration

•        Retaining local talent and attract new visitors and investors.

The Council would promote the new vision and objectives for the town by:

•        Launching new place campaigns: strengthening ‘Let’s Go To Town’ & ‘Made in Middlesbrough’

•        Reimagining events like Orange Pip Market, connecting our culture and events programme with our leisure food and drink businesses

•        Amplifying stories and events via We Are Middlesbrough as the digital hub

•        Recruiting ambassadors and influencers to champion Middlesbrough’s story.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 33.

The Head of Culture and the Director of Creative Factory will be in attendance to provide an overview of the role of culture in regeneration.

Recommendation: that the Panel determines what further information will be required for this scrutiny investigation

The Head of Culture and Director of Creative Factory were in attendance and provided a presentation on the work of the Creative Factory.

They began by noting that the Middlesbrough Cultural Partnership (MCP) was founded in 2018 followed by the Culture Capital Prospectus in 2021 which gathered ideas for capital investment. The Cultural Development Fund bid was successful in 2022, with £4.25m investment from ACE/DCMS. The Creative Vision and Masterplan (2023-33) set out Middlesbrough’s ambition to be the most creative town by developing a sector that is four things: Valuable; Secure; Resourced; and Thriving. Middlesbrough Cultural Partnership then secured £2 million in Levelling Up Funds from Middlesbrough Council in 2024 and Creative Factory was established.

The Creative Factory’s guiding principle was to create long-term sustainability and investment for the cultural and creative sector and substantial progress had been made to date, supported by property acquisition, a dedicated Project Director and Operation Team, community-led governance, solid strategic foundations and a shared mission.

The Creative Land Trust had been established to anchor creative economies in Middlesbrough by developing 50,000 sq ft of creative space for artists and businesses and surplus would be reinvested in the creative sector and be used to sustain long-term operations.

In regard to the spaces acquired by the Creative Factory, the former H.Samuel site on Linthorpe Road was set to become an art gallery with a space that could be hired out for events and workshops. They had also acquired four one-bed apartments, three of which would be used for long-term tenants and the other for visiting artists to stay and act as a community space.

A Member queried timescales for the apartments and commercial space to be in use.

It was advised that it was hoped that tenants would be in the residential units by March 2026. In regard to the commercial space on Linthorpe Road, renovations would start between January and March next year and were set to last three to four months.

Creative Factory were also carrying out several placemaking projects as follows:

·        Most Creative Train Station – 9 artist installations and 1 artist residency explored the station’s heritage and the experience of commuter’s today.

·        We Shall Be - groundbreaking community-led commissioning programme to transform public spaces around Middlesbrough’s historic quarter

·        Parking Day – transformed a parking space on Albert Road on 19 September into a temporary public area for creativity, music, and conversation.

·        Forged – Supported the delivery of a vibrant programme of public art in the Tees Valley, with the aim to tour nationally.

In terms of next steps for the Creative Factory, the legal set up would be completed and there would be a focus on developing a brand that people were able to get behind. The Creative Factory also needed to develop a process that would allow them to measure their impact.

There was a variety of events planned for 2026, including:

·        MIMA hosts Turner Prize and New Contemporaries

·        150^th anniversary of Middlesbrough Football Club

·        10^th anniversary of Orange  ...  view the full minutes text for item 34.

22 December 2025 at 1.30pm

The next meeting of the Place Scrutiny Panel was scheduled for Monday 22 December 2025 at 1.30 pm.

Any other urgent items which in the opinion of the Chair, may be considered.

None.