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Middlesbrough MP Andy McDonald has called for a pause on proposed developments in Gresham claiming they use copied and pasted plans from elsewhere.
Mr McDonald said he had been informed the project would include the bus station from Crewe and a leisure centre from Epping.
He described it as ‘Lord Houchen’s slapdash scheme’ – however, the Tees Valley Mayor has hit back saying the MP was trying to ‘smear and delay progress’ in the town.
The board of Middlesbrough Development Corporation, which is chaired by Ben Houchen, is due to meet tomorrow (Wednesday, November 29) where they will be asked to support the recommendation of appointing development partners.
Mr McDonald said: “I am incredibly concerned about Lord Houchen’s slapdash scheme for Gresham which appears to be drawn up on the back of a cigarette packet.
“If we are to make a success of any new project – which I am sure is what we all want – we need a transparent process with all partners pulling in the same direction and working for a clear goal.
“The idea that the MDC board will decide whether or not to recreate Crewe’s bus station and a leisure centre from Epping in Gresham is completely barking.
“What happens to our current bus station? Who will run the leisure centre?
“There are a million questions that need answering and they should be worked through with Middlesbrough Council and consultation with residents.
“We all want a positive future for Gresham and there is potential to do something wonderful but nobody would want to see a repeat of the Tower Green scheme in Middlehaven which was built and knocked down within a generation.
“The sensible approach here would be to pause and take stock, get all partners and stakeholders around the table and develop a scheme which everyone has contributed to and believes in – and just as importantly, is designed specifically for Gresham, not copied and pasted from elsewhere.”
The Middlesbrough Development Corporation Board is due to meet in the Mandela Room at Middlesbrough Town Hall at 2pm.
Lord Houchen said: “It’s astonishing that Andy McDonald thinks we should ‘pause’ the regeneration of Gresham.
“It would seem that 20 years of dereliction and destitution is not enough for this failed Labour MP.
“He’s also patently wrong as the decision is to appoint a development partner to develop a full detailed scheme following a full public procurement.
“Middlesbrough’s MP would know this if he read the publicly available papers rather than trying to smear and delay progress in the town.”
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He added: “Gresham has stood derelict for decades and at the exact moment we put money behind it he is looking to put a stop to it.
“It would be laughable if it wasn’t so frustrating and damaging.
“First he complained that I was committing £18m of new funding to regenerate the town and now we’re getting on and delivering the regeneration that Middlesbrough has sorely needed for 20 years he think we should slow down, which is further proof that Andy McDonald is the worst MP Teesside has ever seen.”
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