Council sets sights on demolition of Phoenix House after taking control of building as part of Thornaby Town Deal

The Town Deal Board, made up of a range of local stakeholders from public and private sector bodies, including Thornaby councillors and the local MP, has plans under development that could see the site brought forward for housing or leisure uses.

The board is working alongside the Council to finalise a submission to Government that will unlock further funding to see the site redeveloped.

Nigel Cooke, Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Housing, said: "I am pleased to confirm that we have taken control of Phoenix House, one of two eyesores that sit on a prime town centre site with huge potential.

"Thornaby has a thriving town centre but these derelict buildings have cast a shadow over that for many years. It's been a long-standing Council commitment to take control of key assets to deliver change in our town centres and that's exactly what we are doing here.

"We're on a journey to ensure our six town centres can adapt to changing habits and to deliver the change that the people of Thornaby want to see - the purchase of Phoenix House is a huge milestone in achieving this.

"The priorities formed by the Town Deal Board will help to create exciting and transformative projects to secure Thornaby's long-term popularity in the future."

A Town Deal Board workshop to review the full detail of the business case will be held in the coming months, before it is finalised and submitted to Government in May.

The four key priorities that will be addressed in the business case are:

• Tackle vacant properties in the town centre to enable new development and change of use.
• Support to enhance the delivery of skills training for Thornaby residents.
• New cycle and footpath infrastructure linking key assets across Thornaby.
• Seek opportunities to address areas of poor-quality housing in North Thornaby.

Mark White OBE DL, Chair of the Thornaby Town Deal Board, said: "The purchase of Phoenix House is an extremely positive step towards securing long term change and investment in Thornaby and it is testament to the hard work of all the Town Deal Board members that it has reached this successful conclusion.

"I look forward to working with all members on a full business case which will detail how the redevelopment of this prime town centre site will progress."

Thornaby is the only town in Stockton-on-Tees which was awarded Town Deal funding to support regeneration of its town centre, support skills and business development in the town and improve connectivity, transport and culture.