We’ve all seen those ‘Best places to live’ lists which bring together the elements that make people feel they have found their perfect home.

That normally includes such ‘happiness measures’ as friendliness and community spirit, whether people feel they can be themselves, nature and green spaces, opportunities locally to develop skills and amenities including schools, restaurants, shops and sports facilities.

In the latest poll, green belt haven Hexham managed to triumph over Richmond-upon-Thames in London (2nd) and Harrogate to claim top spot.

Maybe it’s just me, and maybe it’s just Teesside, but surely we put some value on a good old swathe of untidy brownfield alongside the green belt?

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This is a region of rebirth, redevelopment and rethinking, spurred on by a past of such towering industrial dominance that if we didn’t invent it or build it we supplied the rivets or brackets for it.

As our old industries grew, decades before the idea of green energy gained any traction and environmental concerns woke up the planet, we made things filthy and oily and we loved it.

Now it’s a part of us and we should celebrate it, not only because of the rich heritage that holds our character together, but also because all that mud, abandoned concrete slabs and rusting metal rods is hope.

Land no longer being used is an opportunity to find a new use, or to attract grants that didn’t exist before and to make it more attractive to investors and employers. If it’s left to rot then it is shaming, but if it can be picked up, washed off and developed, then it is a chance for the next generation to dream of a job here and a future with their families.

So having such opportunity on our doorsteps is a blight only as long it stays neglected by people short of ideas and courage. Look beyond the rubble and weeds, past its recent history and dirty old brownfield sites are exciting and deserve their place on a wishlist for any aspiring family.

If your Legotown neighbourhood has every slot neatly filled in where is the potential for future investors when 300 families need something to grow into?

It's the same with greenfield sites - protected by law and very rarely available.

No.... give me a good brownfield site near my home and the right sort of forward-thinking local authority to run it and I'm happy.

So it will come as no surprise that - just a few days late for Valentine's day - I'm in love with Teesworks. Just look at this photograph.

If you see only grime and dereliction and the remains of what was there before, then you're missing so much. I see scope - for investors, jobs, families, careers, mayors and Borises.

It's one of the most beautiful places in England - for a misty-eyed Business Editor.....

 

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