TEES YARD
The 53 hectare Tees Marshalling Yard is owned by Network Rail and DBS, the freight rail operator. It has been agreed that it is no longer required in its entirety for marshalling purposes and SMI in partnership with the two land owners have now agreed a development framework which will enable the land to be developed as a new residential community of over 1,300 houses with supporting community and retail provision.
Agreement has been reached with Network Rail as to how the rail infrastructure in the site needs to be modified. It is not practical to relocate the freight line to the north of the site into the southern rail corridor until this section of the line is resignalled. This is not currently due to take place until the 2014 - 2018 period. Residential development on the site is therefore a longer term proposal.
The rail corridor between Stockton and Middlesbrough is also being investigated for use as the Tees Valley Metro. SMI considered that the provision of a station within the new residential development but also linked to the Teesside Shopping Park scheme to the south will both help towards the sustainability of the sites but also provide essential patronage for the Metro itself and therefore assist with its financial business case.
