A company which opened an office in Middlesbrough in 2018 in anticipation of the unprecedented investment in industry, infrastructure and technology in the Tees Valley has joined the growing ranks of high-profile businesses moving to Centre Square.

The Frazer-Nash Consultancy said its new base will allow it to keep growing and – crucially – help recruit staff.

“We will struggle to attract talent from the wider North East if we’re not near good transport links and amenities, and being in the middle of town helps us hugely with that,” said Chris Jones, Group Leader in the North East.

Read more: Local firms win as Centre Square in Middlesbrough takes shape

His team of consultants specialise in the chemical process, rail and pharmaceutical industries. They develop, enhance and protect clients' critical assets, systems and processes.

They are part of a business which has 1000 staff based in the UK and Australia. Last year Frazer-Nash was bought for $400m by US-based KBR which employs nearly 30,000 people across the globe.

Mr Jones said: “I looked at quite a few places and I saw Centre Square before we needed it. If COVID-19 hadn’t happened I suspect all of it would have been let.”

He added: “But we grew during the pandemic and reached the point of needing to move to a strategically better location.

“Without Centre Square we might have had to cast a wider net.”

Frazer-Nash joins GB Bank, pension specialist XPS, Barristers and GB Bank in 2 Centre Square. Only 5,500 sq ft of the 34,000 sq ft building is still available. Firstsource and Causeway Technologies occupy 1 Centre Square and next year 450 AXA UK staff will move to a new building – 6 Centre Square – which is half-way through construction.

Middlesbrough Mayor Andy Preston said: “The best office space in the region is right here in Middlesbrough, and it’s being snapped up by dynamic businesses with a real eye on the future. These are challenging times for all of us, but that will never dent our desire to drive Middlesbrough forward as a regional powerhouse for jobs, enterprise and investment.”