A former steelworks on Teesside has been re-branded in a bid to showcase it to global investors.
The site in Redcar will bw called Teesworks, and a new entrance is being built at the site as part of plans to create 400 jobs there over the next year.
The South Tees Development Corporation (STDC) secured the site after a lengthy legal battle which led to the successful granting of a compulsory purchase order.
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Former owner Thai-based SSI closed the now defunct steel plant in October 2015 when 2,000 jobs were lost and many thousands more in the supply chain.
Now Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen has said a number of new contracts would go out for tender in the coming weeks to carry out 19 separate demolition projects as work continues to develop the site.
Eventually 775 jobs could be created as a result of planned investments worth £393m, he said.
Mr Houchen said: “More than 200 local jobs have already been created on the site, but this is just the beginning. Over the next year, we will go on to create hundreds more real jobs for real people in our communities.
“We own the land, we have the keys, the diggers are in place and we are getting on with the job we promised to the former steelworkers, some of which are already back on site in new jobs.”
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He added: “With this exciting new phase for the site and investment in the pipeline on a scale that has not been seen before in this region, we felt it was time for a new identity to tell our story and showcase our potential to investors across the world as well as real people in Teesside, which is why we’ve launched Teesworks.
“By the end of the year, we will also have built a new and impressive entrance to the site.
“This will be our shop window to the world, allowing us to wow local people and investors alike, inspiring current and future generations to train and apply for the high skilled jobs that we are creating.”
Local businesses and workers will be able to find out about contracts and job opportunities at Teesworks by visiting a new website www.teesworks.co.uk.
Recar and Cleveland Council leader Mary Lanigan said: “It has taken years of hard work to get this stage and now we’re knuckling down with our partners to make sure this site is even more attractive to investors here in the 海角视频 and right across the globe.”
But Jessie Joe Jacobs, Labour’s candidate for Tees Valley Mayor said she was becoming weary of what she described as Mr Houchen’s “all mouth and no trousers PR machine”.
She said: “Today was simply another branding exercise announcing temporary construction jobs we already knew about. We have a new name and promises to build new buildings without any commitment of companies to fill them.
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“Sadly from Mr Houchen we have had more headlines than we have jobs on the SSI site.
“This as the Tees valley continues to fall behind the rest of the country in terms of our economy, employment and business growth. We really want and need more than this now.”