A North East firm has won a major contract to prepare a site that aims to bring thousands of jobs to the region.
Henry Boot Developments has awarded a £6.7m contract for infrastructure works at the 150-hectare International Advanced Manufacturing Park (IAMP) to Esh Civils, a delivery arm of County Durham’s Esh Construction.
The contract will see design, construction and installation of the infrastructure for the first phase of development of IAMP and involves the delivery of highways, drainage, utilities, landscaping and environmental mitigation work.
The work - which is expected to take around a year - is the first phase of a development that is hoped could ultimately bring more than 7,000 new jobs to the region and boost its reputation as a centre for the automotive industry.
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French firm SNOP, which currently has a plant at Washington , will be relocating to IAMP as the first tenant of a site close to the Nissan plant that crosses the Sunderland-South Tyneside border.
South Tyneside Council leader Iain Malcolm said: “In the long-term, IAMP is a development that will deliver thousands of jobs for local people, generating wealth and benefitting the local economy. What is fantastic is that, with the appointment of Esh, we will see local jobs being supported by this project, and a business that was born and has grown in the North East can reap some of the benefits of this groundbreaking scheme.
“Our ambition is to create a truly world-class hub, here at IAMP, and by working with the best suppliers, we will achieve that. We are delighted to see that, after a competitive tender process, it is a company on our doorstep that has come out on top.
“Much of the supply chain is locally based too, which means it is companies in South Tyneside, Sunderland and the North East that will see the benefit.”
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IAMP has been designated a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project by the Government, which has pledged £42m through the North East LEP towards infrastructure work.
Esh’s involvement in the project will allow to extend an apprenticeship programme which has already seen more than 250 local people pass through training and secure long-term employment with the firm.
Steven Conn, divisional director at Esh Civils, said: “We are delighted to be involved in the first phase of the IAMP infrastructure development, working with Henry Boot Developments to deliver the joint local authority project to attract local employment.”
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