Brownfield sites are increasingly popular with developers. John Dean charts a remarkable revolution

THEY were the sites that drove the industrial North-East - the engineering plants, factories, shipyards and collieries were the heart of the region's prosperity.

But all things come to an end and, one by one, they fell silent to stand empty, as depressing symbols of the region's industrial malaise.

Today, that scenario has changed and many brownfield sites have been brought back into use as the region witnesses a staggering renaissance.

Two decades ago, there were little signs of that renaissance, but the past 20 years have seen a quickening pace of development, driven by Government edict and entrepreneurial vision.

Typical of the thinking that has brought these sites back into use is one of the largest, Middlehaven, which sits on the Tees estuary, in Middlesbrough.

Its story is similar to so many others. It was once home to extensive docklands and heavy industry in the days when Teesside's fortune was based on iron, coal, steel and shipping.

By the Eighties, the waterside factories were closing down, leaving an unsightly expanse of dereliction.

For Richard Buckley, director of development for the Government- backed Tees Valley Regen- Brownfield sites are increasingly popular with developers. John Dean charts a remarkable revolution eration (TVR) agency, which has overseen much of the area's recent brownfield development, Middlehaven shows what can be achieved.

He points to a change in thinking that helped make such developments possible, including a Government edict which said that 60 per cent of new housing should be on brownfield sites.

Mr Buckley said: "The decision came amid growing awareness that the green belt was under pressure. Developing on greenbelt sites is easier. Brownfield sites are more expensive because of the work that needs doing, such as removing contamination.

However, our understanding of what needs to be done has improved."

That better understanding has meant using techniques such as soil treatments to remove contaminants, and learning what is needed to make sites attractive to investors.

Covering 250 acres, Middlehaven will be home to developments including a college campus, housing, pubs, restaurants, performance areas, a park and business units.

Mr Buckley hopes that it will assume the kind of marina-style feel that has worked well elsewhere.

He said: "Our job is to make sites like Middlehaven viable.

There must be a sense of place.

You are looking for a sense of community, with pubs and restaurants and shops."

Tim White, director of regeneration at Middlesbrough Council, agrees, saying: "Companies are looking for sites where it is easy for employees to get to work and where staff can pop out to get some lunch."

Mr White believes that the role of organisations like TVR is crucial in making such sites attractive for investors.

He sees areas such as Middlehaven, and the reclaimed business development Riverside Park, also in the town, as examples of how the public-private partnership can work.

Mr White said: "Sites like that are attractive to developers seeking locations for businesses, and also public investors looking to build schools and hospitals.

"Riverside Park is another example.

These kind of sites have often been used by industry for many decades.

"If you look at Riverside Park, the development is very different for a site that was once the ironmasters' area. In the Sixties, the area was used for iron and steel businesses. When that changed, that left a brownfield site.

"The public sector needs to help the process of redeveloping these sites. If you show a business an un-remediated brownfield site it will run a mile.

"The public sector's role is to assist transforming industrial land into something a business SAFE HAVEN: An artist's impression of the Middlehaven site, which sits on the Tees estuary, in Middlesbrough can invest in."

That could mean land assembly' - buying pockets of land, carrying out decontamination work, or putting in roads and energy supplies.

That approach is working on a number of major brownfield regenerations in the Tees Valley.

One is the North Shore project, which will comprise 500 residential units and 600,000sq ft of office space, with construction expected to start in 2009.

And in Darlington, there is Central Park, off Haughton Road, the redevelopment of a former railway sidings site for housing, business and recreation. It is already home to the relocated Darlington College.

Mr Buckley believes, with such major projects, there is a need for balance.

He said: "We are bringing forward projects with a strategic impact, but we do not want to swamp an area. You do not want to see too many apartments or similar developments in an area.

Yes, you need competition, but you have to create the right mix for investors.

"These brownfield sites are the backbone of the region, and we are now seeing major developers coming to the North-East.

"We are looking for developments to act as a trigger for development in the surrounding areas."

However, he acknowledges that the rush to brownfield does not signal the ultimate salvation of the greenbelt.

"The greenbelt will have to come back onto the agenda," he said.