Work could start on Teesside school after "seven year saga"
Last updated 10th Mar 2025
hout comments from Middlesbrough Development Corporation. These have now been added throughout the article and at the end in their entirety.
Middlesbrough’s MP hopes that building work will start on Outwood Riverside in the very near future after a seven year “battle”.
Middlesbrough and Thornaby East Labour MP Andy McDonald has said that he is hopeful for work to begin shortly, as keen stakeholders await the outcome of planning permission judgement from Middlesbrough Development Corporation. No party involved in the process has been willing or able to give a definitive date for when building work will commence.
With the campaign for a permanent school into its seventh year, it means that there are kids who have made their way through an entire schooling and have never been taught at a permanent site. One of the affected ward councillors has welcomed this week’s update.
Mr McDonald and Middlesbrough Council ’s Executive member for Education and Culture, Councillor Philippa Storey, have held numerous meetings with the Department for Education and ministers about the issue. However, after years of “banging our heads against the wall”, Mr McDonald described a meeting late last year as “incredibly productive” with all parties now on the same page.
Information shared from Mr McDonald’s office says that Middlesbrough Council has resolved all issues in its control, such as highways. This means the project can start “imminently” and that the only remaining requirement is to get the green light from planning. The school is set to be sited on Middlehaven land south of the Transporter Bridge between Middlesbrough College and the Old Town Hall.
Due to the location of the site, Middlesbrough Development Corporation (MDC) are the planning authority responsible for granting planning permission, rather than the council. MDC were contacted in an attempt to find out a date when permission may be granted. The corporation’s response echoed the language from Mr McDonald’s office; a spokesperson said: “Formal approval will be issued imminently.”
‘Years of little progress’
Commenting on the challenging situation for current members of the school, Mr McDonald said: “I only have praise for the staff and pupils of Outwood Riverside who have maintained a ‘good’ school rating from Ofsted and have refused to let this issue get in the way of attainment.”
Cllr Philippa Storey, who also serves as the council’s Executive Member for Culture and Education, said: “After years of little progress, having positive moves forward for this much needed school will be a huge relief for students, parents and teachers. The current situation is unsustainable and the students and teachers deserve enormous credit for the remarkable results they have achieved together in incredibly difficult circumstances”, adding: “I look forward to work starting on site soon.”
Middlesbrough Labour Mayor Chris Cooke added: “This is long overdue. We desperately need this new school which will not only provide massive benefits for the young people that attend, but will also help to move on other projects that have been waiting on this progress, such as work on Middlesbrough College.”
‘Seven year saga’
The question of progress on the new site was raised by Central ward Labour Councillor Lewis Young at January’s meeting of full council. He said: “This is a seven year saga now, for a school that isn’t on its permanent site.
“That means there are kids who are attending that school who have never been schooled in a permanent site. Not only that, they are being bussed around to different sites, not just in Middlesbrough, but across the Tees Valley.” He quizzed the Executive member on how confident she was about getting spades in the ground this year.
In response, Councillor Philippa Storey explained that at the time, the Department for Education was finalising and submitting extra responses from third parties needed for planning permission from MDC.
Following this week’s update, Cllr Young was asked for his thoughts. He said: “I think this has been a long time coming”, adding the news was great for “a number of reasons”. He added: “It means that pupils and future pupils, alongside staff, have real certainty about that site, they’ve been on a ‘temporary’ site for far too long… and I think it’s really good that we now have a certainty that that’s going to happen and we know where that school is going to be.”
“But also from a local resident perspective, I think it’s great for those people that live around that area because they were told that this school was a temporary site.” He highlighted people who lived in Hazel Court and Elder Court in particular and explained that such residents have had to deal with “a whole host” of issues such as parking and antisocial behaviour. With this permanent site confirmed, he believes residents can “see the end in sight”.
A spokesperson for MDC said: “Middlesbrough Development Corporation granted reserved matters approval on February 15, 2025 and have been working closely with the applicant in relation to discharging planning conditions.
“Following discussions with the MDC, minor works have begun on site and formal approval will be issued imminently allowing construction works to begin.”
Middlesbrough Council did not wish to comment on the ongoing developments.