Why can't Teesside Councils have joined up thinking?

DrummerMan

DrummerMan

Well-known member
Stockton Globe has reportedly cost Stockton Borough Council £26.5m to refurbish - this holds around 3,000 people

Middlesbrough Council is reportedly looking at building an Arena on the Middleheaven site (ex-Snow Dome)

Redcar Council is looking to build a 5,000 seat arena at Coatham Bowl

No wonder our taxpayer money gets wasted.... until Teesside gets one council to serve the whole area, nothing is going to change

There's no way all of these 'venues' are going to be used
 
Totally agree. I know the Globe is now a great venue, but does it offer much more than Middlesbrough Town Hall which also got upgraded recently? They seem to get the same acts. Then there's the Darlington Hippodrome, the Arc, Yarm School etc.

It would seem a lot more sensible to have a small, medium and large venue covering the whole of wider-Teesside.
 
I'd say The Globe is borderline too big. 5000 at Redcar would be a white elephant. If Middlesbrough were to build an Arena I cannot see both it and The Globe being viable in the medium to long term. I think Stockton has stolen a march on the other councils with having a vision for repurposing the town centre. Stockton has the Georgian Theatre (300 cap), The Arc (600?) and The Globe (2600) as well as smaller venues pretty much everything catered for apart from mega acts like Springsteen or the Stones. I agree with the general point that the councils need to act in concert. Perhaps if we acknowledge that Stockton has established itself as Teessides music town then Boro is sport town Redcar is leisure? As you say, some joined up thinking please.
 
The Globe is part of SBC's planned improvements to the Town Centre though. It's the reason why the hotel has been built and Castlegate being demolished. The Council has been quite visionary in realising shopping and the traditional High Street is dead. Town centres in future are mainly about entertainment and other social activities.
 
Nero said:
Town centres in future are mainly about entertainment and other social activities.
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I agree, but can Teesside really have 3 or 4 leisure/entertainment centres ? There's only so many Cinemas, Bowling, Music Venues that can go around

I don't know what the solution is - I'm just making a general comment
 
DrummerMan said:
I agree, but can Teesside really have 3 or 4 leisure/entertainment centres ? There's only so many Cinemas, Bowling, Music Venues that can go around

I don't know what the solution is - I'm just making a general comment
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At a guess I reckon the thinking on the Globe is to attract people from the wider North East, who will stay in the Hilton over night and use the High Street for food and drinks. To do that the venue had to be good and the acts of a high standard. It's a good plan if it works. I'd imagine any arena at Middlehaven would focus on bands mainly.

Mind you, I do not believe anything will ever be built at Middlehaven. It's been talked about since the mid-nineties.
 
CommanderComcast said:
Totally agree. I know the Globe is now a great venue, but does it offer much more than Middlesbrough Town Hall which also got upgraded recently? They seem to get the same acts. Then there's the Darlington Hippodrome, the Arc, Yarm School etc.

It would seem a lot more sensible to have a small, medium and large venue covering the whole of wider-Teesside.
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Going to see Claire Grogan at the Globe next march, fingers crossed
 
Norfolkred1 said:
Take the ABC off the owner and refurbish it, Middlesbrough is way behind Stockton in decent music venues.
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Who should do the taking and from who?

Stockton has all we need as far as venues go, no need for more public money to be spent in Boro and Redcar but egos will say otherwise.
 
DrummerMan said:
Stockton Globe has reportedly cost Stockton Borough Council £26.5m to refurbish - this holds around 3,000 people

Middlesbrough Council is reportedly looking at building an Arena on the Middleheaven site (ex-Snow Dome)

Redcar Council is looking to build a 5,000 seat arena at Coatham Bowl

No wonder our taxpayer money gets wasted.... until Teesside gets one council to serve the whole area, nothing is going to change

There's no way all of these 'venues' are going to be used
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The total cost of the refurb hasn't all been born by Stockton Council, various agencies and and the Heritage Lottery Fund have all contributed to various extents.

Its a chicken and egg scenario isn't?

The council leave an old building to go to rack and ruin and get slaughtered for it or they try do something about it and improve the town ( (a fantastic venue run by an experienced Agency appealing to a wide cross section of events/audiences) and generate an income scheme for years to come.

The venue leads to restaurants, hotels, increased footfall etc

I know which option I'd have chosen and I'm glad they went they way they did. At least Stockton Council seem to have some kind of long term plan for improving the town centre and generating income whilst making it a better place for people to visit as opposed to Andy Preston's endless surveys, empty promises and a dream of office blocks everywhere.
 
BlindBoyGrunt said:
I think the desire to have a building like the ABC restored and reopened is more than just ego. What else would you do with it?
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You misunderstood my reply, sorry I wasn't clear enough I was referring to the Middlesbrough and Redcar proposals.

I'm not sure the Arc needs another refurb already though. I would have been there tonight to see Wishbone Ash but I've got that awful gastro bug.
 
RE: The ABC. Just picked this up from memories Of Middlesbrough:

''Following a phone call with Mayor Andy Preston last Tuesday 19th. October which left me with more questions than answers .....
I have some good news on The Elite/Crown
( I think it's good news. .... I hope it's good news )
When pressed on the current state of the building and the ( Seeming ) willingness by its' owners and the buildings' Managing Agents ( Fawley, Watson, Booth ) The Mayor agreed with me that the deterioration of the building can not be allowed to continue and stated that Compulsory Purchase by the council now appears to be the most likely outcome for the building''.
It's a small step but .... It is one step forward.
 
In my experience Middlesbrough and Stockton councils havent got a good working relationship and tend to work against each other more than anything else. At an executive level anyway and I think it's fair to say that Stockton are seen as been a bit protective and insular in that sense too.
 
Globe has totally different artist than most Arenas. While I live in Redcar thats not going to happen I don't think. Would love one in Boro. Not much on Globe I have fancied so far. Nick Cave but double booked and Adam Ant nex year. That's it so far. Still having to go far and wide for the bigger bands.
 
Jonny Ingbar said:
In my experience Middlesbrough and Stockton councils havent got a good working relationship and tend to work against each other more than anything else. At an executive level anyway and I think it's fair to say that Stockton are seen as been a bit protective and insular in that sense too.
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What experience is that and who sees Stockton's executive as being insular and why?
 
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