Plans to stimulate job growth with the development of a major electricity cable manufacturing facility on the Tyne's riverbanks have been presented to the community.
The enterprise aiming to set up shop in South Shields is LS Eco Advanced Cables Ltd (LSEAC), which is a collaborative venture between Global InterConnection Group, a Ƶ firm, and a subsidiary of the South Korean LS Group. The company has initiated an eight-week consultation period regarding its intentions to construct a high-voltage cable production plant with an investment of £923m.
The creation of 500 direct roles and an estimated additional 1,000 jobs within the supply chain is projected. Details of the venture for the Tyne Renewables Quay site at Tyne Dock, located adjacent to the port's vehicle terminal operations on the river's southern side, are now undergoing a five-week public consultation.
Initially broached last year, these early-stage proposals are inviting input from local residents, business owners, and community groups ahead of a formal planning application to South Tyneside Council expected later in the year. The suggested complex includes manufacturing areas, test facilities, offices, and a notable 202-metre tall tower for extending and coating the cables. LSEAC, seeking significant investment for the project, had formerly proposed to begin production by 2027.
North East mayor Kim McGuinness said: "We are leading the way to bring this incredible new facility to our region and with it thousands of new jobs. LS Eco Advanced Cables will truly establish North East England as the home of the green energy revolution while also supporting the nation's drive for energy security."
Newcastle leisure operator Vaulkhard Group bought one of its well-known bars thanks to a £5.2m funding package.
The company - which owns 14 bars and pubs across the city including Bealim House, Castro’s, Redhouse and The Beehive - has purchased the freehold of Barluga on Newcastle’s Grey Street. The purchase marks a milestone for the business, which has operated Barluga as a tenant for over 20 years. The firm said ownership of the historic building allows it to safeguard the site’s future and reinforce its commitment to Newcastle’s hospitality scene.
The transaction has been backed by a further £5.2m funding package from HSBC Ƶ, which has also provided funding for the refurbishment of Vaulkhard Group’s Quayside venue, Offshore 44, based in the Sandhill building, one of the oldest in Newcastle. The Sandhill site is an existing freehold property, and the investment will allow the group to inject new life into the building and further enhance a thriving area of the city.
Vaulkhard Group, which has around 350 employees across the North East, is now looking to make further acquisitions over the coming years as it continues to grow its portfolio.
A civil engineering firm which specialises in marine construction is poised for growth after opening a new head office in Gateshead. Southbay Civil Engineering has been based in North Tyneside for almost 20 years, but has made the move to new headquarters at Moongate House, Team Valley, to help accommodate an expanding workforce and a growing pipeline of projects.
Its clients include the Port of Tyne Authority, Shepherd Offshore, North Shields Fish Quay Company and Brett Aggregates, as well local authorities, harbour commissions, RNLI and petrochemical firms such as Exolum and Conocophillips. The firm has signed a 10-year lease on the 6,000 sqft office to help accommodate an expanding workforce and a growing pipeline of projects.
Southbay, which has signed a 10-year lease on the 6,000 sqft office, employs a team of sixty staff and it has recently recruited six new staff within its commercial, estimating and marketing departments in addition to creating two apprenticeship positions.
Managing director Paul Stephenson believes the investment in high-quality office space will provide an ideal platform for further growth. He said: “Moongate House offers us the ideal location and specification to provide an attractive and collaborative working environment for our highly skilled team and to ensure we are well-placed to attract more high-calibre individuals.
“The ongoing growth in the renewable energy sector has led to a great deal of new investment in harbours and ports across the Ƶ to accommodate new offshore wind facilities. As wind turbine construction increases in size and quantity, port infrastructure also must be developed, so our skills and expertise are in high demand.”
Work is now under way on a £3.5m South Tyneside retail scheme after it received backing from a property investment company. Newcastle-based developer Modo Bloc is driving plans to create the new development on a brownfield site in South Shields, which will include four roadside retail units, featuring a drive-through Starbucks, Greggs, Indigo Sun Retail, and eight EV charging stations. The development is expected to create up to 40 new jobs once up and running.
Now Develop North PLC, managed by Newcastle-based fund management specialists Tier One Capital, has provided £2.4m in funding to support the development of the project, based on land off Claypath Lane and the A194.
Contractor Castle House Projects is delivering the construction phase, which is expected to take around nine months to complete. The scheme is the latest in a series of successful developments to receive backing from Develop North, which has a strong track record of supporting commercial and mixed-use regeneration across the region.
George Jenkins, managing director at Modo Bloc, said: “We’re pleased to bring a neglected site back into productive use and to support the regeneration of this part of South Tyneside with a high-quality roadside retail offer. Developments like this provide long-term economic and consumer value by creating jobs, enhancing local amenities and encouraging further investment in the area."
Renewables specialist Tekmar Group has secured a contract which will see it supply its services for a wind farm off the coast of Scotland. The Newton Aycliffe based business offers technology, services and products to customers around the world, with offices, manufacturing bases, strategic supply partnerships and representation in 18 locations across Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia Pacific and North America.
The group has now announced it has been awarded a new contract to provide grouting services for the Inch Cape Offshore Wind Farm, based off the east coast of Scotland.
The project will see Tekmar deliver a specialist grouting solution for key offshore wind infrastructure, which it said reinforces its strategic focus on expanding its presence in this critical service area.
Grouting – in which material is used to fill voids and create connections within offshore structures – is an integral component of subsea foundation stability, and Tekmar said its capabilities in this space continue to support the safe, reliable installation of offshore energy assets.
The firm has won the work with Charles Brand, a Belfast based civil engineering business founded 190 years ago, which is the principal contractor for the Inch Cape project’s landfall works. Tekmar’s work on the project starts in September. The contract value has not been disclosed.
SpaceX supplier Filtronic has secured a new contract to provide components destined for new satellites being built by Airbus Defence and Space.
The County Durham firm will make advanced filter and diplexer assemblies for the aerospace giant, which is producing additional satellites to Eutelsat OneWeb - a provider of broadband services via low earth orbit satellites. Filtronic's Sedgefield-based engineers will deliver what are known as flight sets for installation next year, in support of Eutelsat OneWeb's expansion of its constellation which is made up of 630 satellites orbiting about 1,200km above the Earth.
Filtronic told investors on the London Stock Exchange that the initial contract is "of significant value" and holds the potential for more orders as the constellation rollout progresses. Eutelsat OneWeb was formed three years ago through the merger of Eutelsat Communications and OneWeb, and is said to be the world's first fully integrated satellite operator which combines geostationary orbit - satellites places about 35,800km above the Earth's equator - and low earth orbit technologies.
Nat Edington, chief executive officer, said: "This contract win aligns with our strategy to expand capabilities in the space sector and places more of our technology on to operational satellite payload systems. We are delighted to have won a second contract with a European space provider, following our announcement on April 23, 2025, highlighting the role we have to play within this high-growth market and broadening our customer base."
