A creative studio in Middlesbrough will receive a £380,000 boost to improve opportunities for budding artists.

The funding will go towards a project to open up new public spaces and studios within The Auxiliary on Station Street in Middlesbrough.

New windows and glass doors will be installed, along with additional skylights added, while the building will become fully accessible with two new lifts.

The ground floor will also be levelled to create a new, large social space which can be used for events throughout the year and for students on the music course at Middlesbrough College. 

Charlie Kemp, head of creative space at the TVCA, said the scheme would not only improve the look of the building, but would also provide a “much more sustainable space, “both environmentally and in terms of its long term use”.

“At the moment, because there is no heating and all the issues with the structure, it can only be used a few times a year for anything that is relatively public. It’s a bit of a risk for the people that are using it actually,” she added.

In 2022, £4.25m was secured by the Middlesbrough Cultural Partnership and Middlesbrough Council from the Cultural Development Fund for cultural projects at The Auxiliary as well as Central Library, MIMA and the train station.

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However, a meeting of the Middlesbrough Development Corporation Board heard that, due to inflationary pressures in the construction industry, the preferred scheme was now out of budget.

The full cost of the project, which is being delivered by the council, was not disclosed during the meeting due to an ongoing procurement process.

Cheaper options were available, the board heard, however, members agreed to provide the grant of £380,000 grant to ensure it was delivered in line with the MDC’s masterplan to ramp up the Station Quarter area of the town centre.