Re:Wired 2030 // public consultation
HELP BUILD WHAT COMES NEXT.
We want Re:Wired to grow into a sustainable, go-to computing, gaming and technology destination for Tees Valley — and we want local people to help shape it.
Our current Middlesbrough home has allowed us to prove the idea. The next chapter could be bigger: more playable heritage, more learning, more arcade and pinball, more events, better facilities and a permanent home that people across Teesside are proud to call their own.
We have not chosen the future building or even the town yet. We want to hear where you think Re:Wired should grow, what it should contain and what would make you visit again and again.
Our ambition
A DESTINATION FOR TEESSIDE.
By 2030, our ambition is for Re:Wired to be one of the places people recommend when somebody asks, “What should we do in Tees Valley?” — a destination worth travelling for and a community resource worth returning to.
PLAYABLE MUSEUM
A much larger journey through computing and gaming history, keeping the Re:Wired principle that technology should be experienced, not simply viewed through glass.
ARCADE & PINBALL
A bigger operational collection, tournaments, high-score challenges and changing games that give visitors a fresh reason to return.
RE:WIRED LABS
Dedicated learning space for coding, electronics, networking, robotics, game design, repair and practical STEM activities for young people, schools and communities.
VISIBLE WORKSHOP
A restoration and repair workshop where visitors can see heritage being preserved and new generations can develop practical electronics and engineering skills.
ARCHIVE & LOCAL STORIES
Computers, software, manuals, magazines, photographs and oral histories — including the story of how digital technology changed Teesside.
STAY LONGER
A café or refreshment space, family seating, quiet spaces and better visitor facilities so a Re:Wired visit can become a proper day out rather than a quick stop.
EVENTS & EXPERIENCES
Talks, developer events, retro nights, LAN events, workshops, birthdays, corporate hire, temporary exhibitions and an eventual Tees Valley computing and gaming festival.
INCLUSIVE BY DESIGN
Physical accessibility, quieter experiences, predictable visit information and spaces that work well for neurodivergent visitors are requirements, not afterthoughts.
BRING A BUILDING BACK TO LIFE
We would love to repurpose a vacant or underused building if the right opportunity exists — preserving local place as well as preserving technology.
The business plan
GROWING WITHOUT LOSING THE MISSION.
A bigger Re:Wired cannot depend on one grant or one generous sponsor. Capital funding may help create the next venue, but the day-to-day organisation needs a resilient mix of income that supports preservation, education and community access.
Our principle: grant funding should help us build capacity and create something exceptional. The long-term plan must demonstrate that Re:Wired can meet its routine running costs and continue serving the community after individual grants end.
Membership idea // not yet launched
COULD MEMBERSHIP MAKE RE:WIRED YOUR REGULAR PLACE?
One of the ideas we want to test is a membership that makes repeat visits easy for families and individuals while giving Re:Wired predictable income. These prices and benefits are consultation ideas, not a final offer.
SUPPORTER
For people who want to back Re:Wired even if they do not visit often.
- Supporter updates
- Re:Wired 2030 news
- Selected invitations
- Optional supporters wall
PLAYER
For one regular visitor.
- Unlimited standard visits
- Member events
- Selected discounts
- High-score and challenge features
FAMILY
Our main repeat-visit concept: perhaps two adults and up to three children.
- Unlimited standard family visits
- Member events and challenges
- Selected café/shop discounts
- Discounted limited-capacity activities
Re:Wired Wednesdays and other supervised, limited-capacity programmes would probably be discounted rather than completely unlimited. We want the membership to be excellent value without undermining the cost of providing structured activities.
A regional opportunity
FITTING INTO A BIGGER TEES VALLEY STORY.
Re:Wired is independent, but our ambition strongly complements current local priorities around visitor economy growth, digital creativity, young people, town-centre regeneration, heritage, skills and bringing people back to places.
TEES VALLEY — OUR PLAN FOR REGIONAL PROSPERITY
The 2026–2036 regional plan describes a Tees Valley where people choose to live, study, work, visit and invest, with digital creativity and quality of life among its strengths.
Read the regional plan overview ↗TEES VALLEY — VISITOR ECONOMY
The region's visitor-economy work aims to strengthen high-quality experiences and encourage visitors to stay longer, explore further and return again — exactly the behaviour a larger Re:Wired wants to support.
Read about the Local Visitor Economy Partnership ↗MIDDLESBROUGH — NEW PLACE STRATEGY & INVESTMENT PROSPECTUS
Approved in September 2026, Middlesbrough's new direction responds to changing leisure behaviour, seeks to attract visitors and investment, and builds on digital, innovation and opportunities for younger people.
Read Middlesbrough's latest plans ↗STOCKTON-ON-TEES — EMERGING LOCAL PLAN
Stockton is beginning a new Local Plan covering economic growth, infrastructure and future land use, with consultation for residents, businesses and organisations.
Follow Stockton's emerging Local Plan ↗REDCAR & CLEVELAND — LOCAL PLAN STRATEGY
Current plan-making work includes regeneration, commercial centres and future leisure and tourism development — useful context as we consider opportunities across the whole region.
Read the Local Plan strategy ↗HARTLEPOOL — COUNCIL PLAN 2030
Hartlepool's 2030 vision includes culture, museums, regeneration, young people's opportunities and development of the waterfront as a visitor destination.
Read Hartlepool's Council Plan 2030 ↗DARLINGTON — COUNCIL PLAN
Darlington's plan connects heritage and culture with regeneration, economic impact and attracting visitors — another example of culture supporting place-making across Tees Valley.
Read Darlington's Council Plan ↗Important: these links show strategic alignment and local context. They do not imply that any council or Tees Valley Combined Authority has endorsed Re:Wired 2030, committed funding or selected a location.
Where should Re:Wired go?
HELP US MAP THE NEXT RE:WIRED.
We are deliberately looking across all of Tees Valley. The map below shows which broad areas consultation respondents say they could realistically travel to. As genuine buildings and opportunities emerge, shortlisted or investigated sites can also be added to the map.
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A working roadmap
FROM IDEA TO A SUSTAINABLE HOME.
The public consultation is the start, not a box-ticking exercise. We want to publish what we learn and use it to develop the premises brief, business case and funding strategy.
LISTEN
Ask visitors, families, young people, schools, businesses and communities what the future Re:Wired should be.
TEST
Develop the business model, membership pilot, visitor programme and shortlist realistic premises across Tees Valley.
BUILD
Secure partners and funding, complete design and fit-out work, and grow the team and operating systems needed for scale.
DESTINATION
A larger, resilient Re:Wired that people across Teesside use, revisit, recommend and feel ownership of.
Public consultation
WHAT WOULD YOU BUILD?
You do not need to be a current Re:Wired visitor. We want views from across Tees Valley — including people who have never visited us before.