Tees Valley authorities reveal £4m funding for expansion of "vital" industrial estate

A North East industrial estate is set for a multi-million pound expansion as local authorities reveal £4m of funding for the area.

Skippers Lane Industrial Estate, in Redcar, has received the initial £4m funding boost from the Tees Valley Combined Authority and Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council.

The funding will extend the estate by almost eight acres, creating eight new unties that could support 134 jobs.

This is the first phase of a wider £15.7m business investment for the estate.

Ben Houchen, mayor of Tees Valley, commented: “I realise industrial estates aren’t the most glamorous or shiny of investments, but they are vital to give our brilliant businesses the room they need to grow and, in turn, create good-quality, well-paid jobs for local people.

“As we continue to recover our economy from the coronavirus pandemic, we need to get moving today on schemes which will support the expansion of our companies tomorrow and we’ve already seen that there is appetite for this particular project.

“It will also give us the option of creating many more units in the future at a great location close to Teesworks, the UK’s largest Freeport.

“As works ramp up on site and we see further investment in clean energy, offshore and advanced manufacturing, there’ll be even more opportunity for our supply chain businesses to thrive and develop right here in Redcar.”

Mary Lanigan, leader of Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council, said: “This is about delivering high quality jobs, supporting our fantastic businesses on Skippers Lane and ensuring Redcar and Cleveland remains highly attractive for new investors.

“This project at what is a vitally important industrial site demonstrates the ‘can-do’, pro-business energy in Redcar and Cleveland and across the Tees Valley where business, councils and many other partners work together to bring prosperity.

“But it doesn’t stop here. We will continue to work with whoever it takes to bring even more investment and jobs right across the borough, from improvements to our world-beating industrial site at Teesport to huge investment programmes for our towns and villages.”