Heathrow bosses visit Tees Valley SSI site

Yesterday senior leaders of Heathrow Airport visited Tees Valley to see and discuss opportunities at the former SSI site in Tees Valley. The site, which recently had a Compulsory Purchase Order submitted to land owners, could unlock huge potential economic growth and job opportunities – with Heathrow looking at the site as a potential construction hub.

The SSI site will form a huge part of our Tees Valley Development Plans Conference next week, where we’ll be hearing from senior business leaders from some of the most influences companies and authorities in the region including South Tees Development Corporation and Tees Valley Combined Authority.

Mayor Ben Houchen, who is set to fly ton Thailand to hold talks with the banks who currently have control of the site, met with the Airport’s bosses in Redcar. Heathrow, which is planning a £14bn third runway, is looking for four construction hubs within the UK and the site in Redcar is one of several being looked into. The work coming from the hubs could provide tens of thousands of jobs and billions of pounds in work for the UK.

Speaking about the meeting Mr Houchen said the visit had gone well – with the focus now moving to the face-to-face discussions planned with the banks. The CPO recently submitted is a step towards removing the biggest obstacle at the moment, but the Mayor is hopefully of agreeing terms so not to cause additional delays.

He said: ”We’re making progress and I’m confident. It’s a question of when rather than if. The CPO process was instigated so that if we can’t do a deal with the banks we can get hold of the land anyway. The meeting planned for the 23rd won’t necessarily mean we will have the land tomorrow, there will still be plenty of legals and due diligence to go through, but if we can strike that deal we can get on with the investment.

We’re excited to hear more about the development opportunities on the site at the Tees Valley Development Plans Conference – make sure you’re involved in one of the biggest business meetings in our industry!