NEWS
Freight – Teesside Airport ’ s Business Park South Unit D .
Action ! – How the Hartlepool ’ s Screen Industries Production Village could look .
The building blocks of my plan have already brought jobs , investment and growth to our region .”
supporting the university ’ s growth while creating local facilities and business opportunities . Of course , this is just the first site to be looked at as part of our drive to create 4,000 jobs .
We have also just taken ownership of the House of Fraser building and will be working with the new owners of the Debenhams and Marks and Spencer ’ s buildings to bring the town centre back into working order .
And as the planning authority for these zones , investors can be assured of a business-friendly welcome , cutting the red tape to get new projects and premises up and running as soon as possible .
Both of these – and the whole region – will be supported by a new Investment Zone , which will see £ 160m of government cash used to unleash the strengths of our digital tech and creative companies . This will mean more money for infrastructure , skills and workforce development , business support and research and innovation , potentially leveraging a further £ 175m .
As well as working closely with Teesside University to unleash the power of our Investment Zone , we ’ re once again calling on the skills of our Business Board to develop the proposals .
The Business Board has been positioned to provide oversight on the further development and delivery of our plans and will engage with businesses across the region to ensure a business-led approach to everything we do .
Over at the airport too , we ’ re continuing to develop world-class facilities to welcome more firms to our business park .
The first unit for the £ 200m Southside development is now completed and , hot on the heels of that , FedEx has signed a new five-year freight deal with the airport as a new tenant arrived in the shape of Airbourne Colours . I ’ ll keep banging the drum to unlock the potential of that key site .
Of course , it ’ s not just about special designations and building things – we have to consider complementary action too .
To ensure the workforce of tomorrow has access to education or training that they need – or to get to the jobs they have today – I ’ ve already announced a £ 1 bus fare cap for people aged 21 and under .
This means they can learn or work for less , getting the skills they need for our businesses to thrive while , ultimately , putting more money in their pockets to spend in the region .
Another election pledge , to remove the loathed Linthorpe Road cycle path , shows how I ’ ve listened to companies along the stretch that see the path as a barrier to their success and the reason for a drop in trade .
I won ’ t be afraid to tackle business concerns head-on and , with a further £ 1bn set to be pumped into all modes of transport in the coming years , ensuring we have the right connections in the right places is a no-brainer .
The building blocks of my plan have already brought jobs , investment and growth to our region – now we can double-down to address even knottier problems to give our businesses every chance to succeed .
The voice of business in the Tees region | 25