SERVICING THE REGION
Womble Bond Dickinson partner Peter Snaith explains how the law firm can help businesses invest, build and grow …
SECURING
SUCCESS
Teesside is recognised as one of the UK’ s most compelling destinations for industrial, energy and decarbonisation investment.
Its combination of industrial heritage, strategic infrastructure, skilled labour and established supply chains continues to attract both global corporates and fast-growing businesses looking to establish, acquire or expand operations in the region, despite the well-reported challenges brought by the current cost of doing business in the UK.
Momentum is certainly building and is reflected in the breadth of businesses investing in Teesside.
Longstanding names such as Huntsman, SABIC and Alpek sit alongside newer entrants including SeAH Wind, Tees Valley Lithium, Nova Pangaea and Endolys, indicating the region’ s growing role in the UK’ s energy transition and advanced manufacturing landscape.
The region ' s ambition and the scale of the opportunity is palpable. However, identifying the opportunity is only the beginning and international law firm Womble Bond Dickinson can help.
For inward investors, success depends on understanding whether a project is genuinely deliverable in practice.
Securing and developing an industrial site is rarely straightforward – it requires careful navigation of land assembly, planning and permitting access to power and utilities, environmental considerations, operational interfaces and integration with existing infrastructure.
These are often the factors that determine whether an investment can move at pace, attract funding and ultimately succeed.
Major industrial and energy projects require robust, bankable structures that align with market expectations and funding requirements.
Increasingly, this means combining conventional debt, equity investment and public funding mechanisms, including support linked to decarbonisation and strategic manufacturing priorities. Structuring projects in a way that is both commercially viable and attractive to funders is now central to successful delivery.
For many international investors, the UK journey may begin in London, but the right location for a significant proportion of industrial, renewable and decarbonisation projects is elsewhere.
Teesside offers a platform that is difficult to replicate: scale, infrastructure, capability and a supportive industrial ecosystem, all within a region with a long track record of complex project delivery.
EJ Kim, head of legal at SeAH Wind, explained:“ Establishing the world ' s largest offshore wind manufacturing facility has involved navigating uncertainties, challenges and practical obstacles at every stage of the journey.
“ As a business delivering the project on the ground, we have experienced those realities firsthand. Womble Bond Dickinson has been a valued adviser throughout, combining practical insight with a strong understanding of the Tees Valley landscape."
Investors need advice that is commercially grounded, technically aware and connected to the practical realities of project delivery in the local operating environment.
Success depends on bringing together legal, regulatory and commercial advice that alongside expertise in areas such as planning, permitting, energy consultancy, customs, HR and immigration can help simplify complexity, accelerate decisionmaking and improve the prospects of successful execution.
As Teesside continues to attract global investment across clean energy, advanced materials and industrial decarbonisation, the opportunity is clear.
However, real success will depend not only on ambition but on execution: identifying the right sites, navigating constraints early, structuring projects effectively and ensuring that investments are both deliverable and bankable from the outset.
Inward investment ' s next chapter will be shaped by investors who can move early, plan well and execute with confidence.
Womble Bond Dickinson is proud to support that journey, combining international reach with a local presence, including Teesside and London, among eight offices across the UK – providing the legal, financial and regulatory expertise needed to help businesses invest, build and grow successfully in the Tees Valley.
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