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Middlesbrough Council lose car parks battle
Sandy McKenzie, Evening Gazette
Nov 17 2011

A DECISION blocking two key town centre sites from becoming permanent car parks has been overturned.
Middlesbrough Council’s planning committee decided in May to refuse permanent consents for the car parks on the former Odeon and Cleveland Scientific Institute sites, on Corporation Road.
Instead it granted planning consent for only two years.
It considered the car parks were gateway sites and should be occupied with developments of “gateway status”.
Developer Mandale Construction appealed against the planning committee’s decision and a Government inspector has now upheld the appeal.
Planning inspector Graham Snowdon said: “I can understand the concern of the council that nothing should delay or prejudice their long-term redevelopment in accordance with development plan strategy.
“However, I have seen no evidence to suggest that granting a permanent permission for car parking on the sites would do this.
“The realities of the current economic climate, in my view, mean that the immediate prospects for permanent development on the sites may be limited and I consider that the use as car parking ensures that the sites are put to beneficial economic use in the interim, in a manner which does little harm to the local environment.
“I have also seen no evidence that the presence of these car parks is likely to deter investment elsewhere in the area. I further consider that the granting of permanent permission may offer a level of certainty which would ensure continued investment in the operation and appearance of the sites. This can only be beneficial.”
The development of the sites has previously proved controversial, with Middlesbrough Mayor Ray Mallon strongly criticising the demolition of the Cleveland Scientific Institute in 2006.
Jeremy Good, a director of planning consultants England and Lyle, who acted for Mandale Construction, said: “The use of the land as car parks either temporarily or otherwise does not impede the long term aspirations to redevelop these sites.”
A Middlesbrough Council spokesman said: “The council will now endeavour to assist the developer to bring forward appropriate development.”

Related Tags
cleveland scientific institute site,
mandale construction,
middlesbrough council,
odeon site

talisker
11:26 AM on November 17, 2011
If the Scientific Institute had had listed building status which it should have then i would not have been demolished. Now who should take the blame...........
Bubba
11:38 AM on November 17, 2011
People parking on the old Odean site will be able to walk to the indefinite wasteland of Middlehaven. A pleasent day can be had by all.

tonymac
12:11 PM on November 17, 2011
the councils only concern with these two sites is that they cant control how much to charge for parking, and since these sites are massively undercutting the council carparks, the council feel they are losing revenue.
middlesbrough is dying a slow death, and unemployment is rising all the time, hence less revenue from council tax etc ... they need to grab all they can from elsewhere

hadenough
12:20 PM on November 17, 2011
the town will strugle if the price of parking does'nt come down just like stockton and

borocoffindodger
12:34 PM on November 17, 2011
I very rarely visit Middlesbrough town centre as I find it a very unpleasant and intimidating place. I do my shopping at Teesside Park and Skippers Lane. There are no car parking charges, plenty of spaces, no groups of youths hanging around, no drunks and no cyclists. If they are undercutting the Council car parking charges then good for them.

darkcloud
2:04 PM on November 17, 2011
Mandale are destroyers of towns, car parks, might as well demolish the town centre and make that a car park, and what about the old police station the owner wants to build a multi storey car park there,it is parking space at the moment, what is happening in this town and the planning dept, there is a bad smell coming from there.

DH
2:51 PM on November 17, 2011
Hitler used to call us a nation of shopkeepers, if he was still alive, he would call us a nation of car parks.

Sentinel
7:04 PM on November 17, 2011
Mallon and his cronies are borrowing 30 MILLION pounds (on your behalf, of course) to demolish 400 homes in Gresham and Middlehaven, behind Linthorpe Road !
Now what is so important that it will cost £30M, destroy 400 perfectly good homes and displace as many families, many who do not want to be forced out of their own front doors?
Yes you guessed, it's a CARPARK !
Mr Steve 'Pysche' Cochrane must be rubbing his hands with glee, he might get his helipad yet !

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