Creating a Live/Work Zone
A SPECIAL guest dug in to start work on an innovative scheme that will boost new business in the Tees Valley.
Middlesbrough Mayor Ray Mallon launched the beginning of work on Bohouse in Middlesbrough, a state-of-the-art development which will provide 20 vital live/work units for graduates from the creative and digital industries.
Erimus Housing has received funding from the Homes and Communities Agency, the national body providing funding for affordable housing across the country, to create Bohouse, which will enable graduates to stay in the area and start up businesses of their own.
The scheme is part of the Boho zone which forms part of the acclaimed DigitalCity development, a new creative quarter in the heart of the town.
Mike Carr, Chair of the Board for Erimus Housing, part of Fabrick Housing Group, said: “We are thrilled to unveil the site and launch the start of work on this innovative new development that will benefit not only the town but also the wider Tees Valley.
“This scheme is contributing to the economic regeneration of the area and building on the excellent reputation Teesside University has for digital media.”
The scheme has been designed by Xsite architecture, which recently opened an office in the building it designed at Boho One, the first building created as part of the zone.
Bohouse is one of the first of its kind in the UK, with each apartment having a double bedroom and living area with kitchen and bathroom, as well as a workspace into which the front door opens.
Potential tenants will need to apply for an interview and make a proposal to show how their work is involved with the digital media sector and how they can fit into the DigitalCity network.
Robert Napier, Chairman of the Homes and Communities Agency, said: “The scheme offers quality housing with dedicated workspace to foster the entrepreneurial spirit in the Tees Valley, which in turn will support the growing creative and digital sector in the region.
“We understand that regeneration is a multi-faceted process, and endeavour to provide quality homes in safe communities where people want to live and work and have a long term future.”