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A steel sculpture of a magnificent herd animal usually found on Africa’s Serengeti Plains will take its place as a striking piece of public art at the £200m RiversideOne development in Middlesbrough.

The 1.8 metre tall sculpture of a wildebeest was created by London-based artist Jane Ackroyd who specialises in constructed steel sculpture. It is initially anticipated that the sculpture will be located close the RiversideOne’s marketing suite before being relocated to a permanent home in the development.

Sustainable community developer BioRegional Quintain is the company that will create RiversideOne between Middlesbrough’s Riverside Stadium and the Transporter Bridge. Once complete it will comprise 750 homes, offices, retail, education and leisure facilities, delivering a vibrant new quarter of Middlesbrough in which people can live, work and relax.

BioRegional Quintain managing director, Pete Halsall, said: “Wildebeest are renowned for their tenacity and the resilience of their herds so the sculpture embodies the strong community values that we will create here at RiversideOne. It is said that the wildebeest becomes more playful as it gets older and this further highlights the kind of spiritness that we hope will become established here.

“Jane has created a superb piece of art which is made of scrap steel, reflecting our sustainable principles. We are sure it will prove a talking point for visitors and we welcome people to come down to the development to see this impressive work for themselves.”

The wildebeest sculpture has been purchased as part of the phase one public realm works at RiversideOne which will create an event space and a variety of public art to be enjoyed by residents and visitors to the development. Phase one alone is costing £4m, providing some scale of the level of investment taking place in creating this vibrant new district of the town.

Artist Jane Ackroyd commented: “When I created the sculpture I wanted to make something with a colossal presence, using large sections of steel that I had acquired from scrap yards. Turning scrap steel into a positive sculptural image is a hugely rewarding challenge. When I created the wildebeest, I wanted it to symbolise strength, power and vibrancy making RiversideOne the ideal place for it to be located.”

Godfrey Worsdale, director of Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art, said: "It is fantastic to see BioRegional Quintain bringing visual art into the heart of their development plans. Middlesbrough is becoming increasingly recognised as a town with high ambitions for its engagement with art, so it is terrific to see such a key developer supporting that ambition.

“In Jane Ackroyd, BioRegional Quintain has identified an artist whose dramatic use of recycled materials strikes a chord with its own important commitment to sustainability".

Joe Docherty, chief executive of Tees Valley Regeneration, said: “The sculpture is proud, brave and bold and represents the ambition we have always had for Middlehaven. Art and public space are essential in regeneration to help create a sense of belonging and Jane’s work captures these elements in a visually stunning piece.”

The first ten apartments released for sale at RiversideOne were all reserved on the development’s launch weekend when homes in CIAC (Community in a Cube) were made available. CIAC is the first of 15 stunning buildings planned at RiversideOne. Comprising 80 studio, one- and two-bedroom apartments over eight storeys, prices of waterside properties at CIAC range from £94,999 to about £185,000.

RiversideOne is situated close to Middlesbrough Football Club, off Windward Way, and provides fast access to the A66 and A19. People interested in purchasing an apartment at RiversideOne should visit the marketing suite 10am-5.30pm, Thursday to Monday, or contact the sales team on 01642 244490. Further information on the development is also available at www.riverside-one.com. Prices are correct at time of going to press.