Tees Valley Combined Authority has backed plans for two digital and creative hubs in Middlesbrough and Hartlepool, with an estimated combined cost of £13m to £20m.
The projects form part of Tees Valley's £160m Investment Zone, which the combined authority describes as the UK's only investment zone dedicated to digital and creative industries.
Its cabinet approved the Investment Zone capital programme on 25 September as the framework for future investment decisions. Individual projects still require business-case approval.
The proposed Digital and Creative Enterprise and Innovation Hub in Middlesbrough is expected to cost £7m to £10m. Hartlepool's Creative Production Hub would cost £3m to £5m, with a further £3m to £5m for specialist technology and shared equipment across both sites.
Both hubs are expected to be completed in 2029, subject to final business cases.
Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen says: "We're world leaders in gaming, have a brilliant digital sector in Middlesbrough and Hartlepool is cementing itself as a key filmmaking centre in the north of England."
The Middlesbrough project is intended to provide growing digital and creative businesses with space and facilities to develop new products and bring them to market. The authority has not yet specified a location for the building.
It would build on the town's established Boho digital cluster, which includes Boho X, a 60,000 sq ft building occupied by games developer Double Eleven. The development received £21m in funding from Tees Valley Combined Authority, and Double Eleven moved into the building in 2024.
Middlesbrough Mayor Chris Cooke says: "Middlesbrough has established itself as the home of our region's digital sector with the Boho area supporting hundreds of businesses and highly skilled jobs."
The proposal also aligns with Middlesbrough's wider regeneration strategy, approved in September, which identifies digital and creative businesses as one of the town's economic priorities.
In Hartlepool, the new hub would support creative production, creator economy businesses and production supply chains, with specialist facilities and shared equipment. It would complement the existing Northern Studios and the Screen Industries Production Village being developed nearby.
The Northern Studios opened in 2022 and are being expanded as part of a separate £33.5m development that includes the Production Village. The scheme received planning approval in September 2025 and includes larger studios and the conversion of nine disused buildings into production facilities and workspaces.
Work is under way on public realm improvements around Scarborough Street. The Production Village, which incorporates the existing studios, is due to open in January 2028.
The two new hub proposals follow an independent review of the Investment Zone's capital priorities. It found that Tees Valley had established strengths in digital, creative and research activity, but needed additional business space, specialist facilities and infrastructure to support growth.
The Investment Zone's government funding runs over ten years. Of the £80m allocated to 2029, £29m is for business support and £11.6m for research and innovation.
The combined authority expects the Investment Zone to create more than 2,000 jobs and potentially attract £175m of investment over the next decade. Those estimates cover the Investment Zone as a whole, not the two proposed hubs alone.
The next stage is the development and approval of individual business cases. Cabinet has delegated those decisions to the authority's director of business solutions, working with its statutory officers and relevant cabinet members under its assurance framework.
Cabinet is due to receive quarterly updates on project approvals, spending and delivery.
