Middlesbrough’s Live Well Centre is set to expand by more than 50%, in a £1 million investment to further boost the provision of health and wellbeing services for the town’s residents, with the acquisition of two further floors at Dundas House in Middlesbrough town centre.
In a deal secured by Teesside independent commercial property consultants Dodds Brown, Middlesbrough Council is taking a new 10 year lease on a further 12,680 sq ft of office accommodation on floors five and six at Dundas House, Dundas Street, Middlesbrough, TS1 1BA, for The Live Well Centre which from this April (2019) will occupy more than 32,000 sq ft of space in the office building.
The Live Well Centre already provides a gym, studio, training kitchen, open IT facility, café area, group, craft, training and event rooms and office space, as part of its services to empower people to make positive choices to improve their health and wellbeing.
Plans for the new space will be subject to a public consultation, but will accommodate more innovative programmes to help guide people into work and education, and address financial and housing issues, empowering individuals and communities to sustainably improve their health and wellbeing. The plans include conferencing rooms, a meditation suite and more accommodation for complementary health and wellbeing businesses, charities and not-for-profit organisations which want to work with The Live Well Centre and its clients.
“The fantastic success of the first 18 months of The Live Well Centre clearly demonstrates a demand for integrated wellbeing space in central Middlesbrough. The combination of brilliant services, state-of-the-art facilities, easy access and collaborative working arrangements, has seen the centre receive a commendation from the Management Journal, achieve a Middlesbrough Council Team Award, and result in improved integration and access to a wide range of wellbeing services, including health, employment and social support,” says Julia Rostron, Executive Member for Adult and Social Care, Middlesbrough Council.
“The expansion will also open up exciting new opportunities for likeminded organisations to work alongside the more than 20 services currently based at the centre, including Change Grow Live, Groundwork North East and Cumbria, Princes Trust, Virgin Care and Starfish Health and Wellbeing.
“The growth of The Live Well Centre is a clear demonstration of Middlesbrough Council’s commitment to social regeneration and sets Middlesbrough apart as an area truly invested in innovative ways to improve the health and wellbeing of its residents.”
Richard Wilson, Senior Associate Partner at Middlesbrough-based Dodds Brown, secured the new lease on behalf of Dundas House and Shopping Centre landlord Contract Experts Limited. He says: “This is an important letting for both Middlesbrough Council and Dundas House and Shopping Centre. New users of the centre will further boost the weekly footfall in the shopping centre which already exceeds 70,000 per week, as well as attracting other wellbeing related organisations to take space in Dundas House and see more people based in The Live Well Centre using the shops and market units in Dundas Shopping Centre.”
Only two floors of office accommodation, each of up to 6,340 sq ft, remain available at Dundas House, with suites available from 200 sq ft upwards.
Work will start on refurbishing the new space in The Live Well Centre in April (2019) and is expected to be completed by Summer 2019.
