£23.9million Thornaby Town Deal Business Cases are submitted to Government

Major investment in Thornaby is one step closer as the £23.9million Town Deal takes shape with the submission of its four business case documents to Government.

Thornaby Town Deal Board, who have led on the development and prioritisation of investment for Thornaby, approved the business cases submitted by Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council to the Government for assessment.

The detailed business cases set out exciting plans for investment in  a new swimming pool in the town centre and the relocation of NETA Training Group from Portrack Lane to a purpose-built facility next to Stockton Riverside College.

Proposals also include improvements to Victoria Park and Community Centre and investment in tackling vacant properties and community safety measures in North Thornaby alongside a cycle network connecting the town centre with key transport hubs and existing routes in the south.

The business cases, which set out opportunities for long term change and investment in Thornaby have been shaped by Thornaby Town Deal Board, which is made up of a range of local stakeholders from public and private sector bodies, including Thornaby Councillors.

Chair of Thornaby Town Deal Board Mark White OBE DL signed the four business case documents at Thornaby Town Hall in Thornaby-on-Tees.

He said: "I am delighted that we can put pen to paper on submitting the four business cases that are set to reshape Thornaby as a place to live, work and do business.

"This huge milestone is testament to the quality of the interventions and the hard work of the Town Deal Board. Now the hard work starts to make the projects in the business cases a reality."

The Town Deal Board has been working over the last year to develop the interventions that were based on the four priorities that were the basis of the Town Investment Plan submitted to Government in 2020:

• Tackle long term vacant properties in town centre to enable new development and change of use.
• Support to enhance the delivery of skills training for Thornaby residents, linked to further education provision.
• Deliver new footpath and cycle infrastructure linking Thornaby Station, college, town centre and key residential areas and employment sites.
• Address poor quality housing in North Thornaby.

Approval of the business cases is expected at some point this summer. Work will then begin on delivering interventions over the subsequent three years, which will involve engagement opportunities for the public to have input into the process.

Councillor Nigel Cooke, Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Housing at Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council, said: "Submitting the business cases for four really exciting projects is another sign of fantastic progress as we continue working together with the local, private and public sector to transform Thornaby.

"I'm really looking forward to sharing more information about our progress in the coming months."

For more information on how the Council is transforming the Borough's six town centres, visit the Our Six Towns page of the Council's website.

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