Demolition of all major structures at the location of the Teesworks development will start within a matter of weeks, with every structure expected to be down within a year at the site in north-east England that is planned to include GE’s new blade factory.
Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen (pictured) said removal of the old steelmaking facilities at the former Redcar steelworks will kick off shortly with the first phase of the work having taken place since the Teesworks site was launched last July.
He added that 691 jobs have already been created at the site.
The latest work will see all of the old iron and steelmaking plants demolished, with contracts for demolition appointed by August and work beginning on 2 August.
It is expected more than 1000 workers will be on-site over the next 12 months to carry out the work, the mayor said.
GE Renewable Energy submitted plans to Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council for its offshore wind blade manufacturing facility at the end of last month.
It will be part of the Teesworks development, which is planned to be the UK’s largest freeport and has been set up to promote the economic growth and commercial development of the Tees Valley.
Houchen said: “The blast furnace has dominated Redcar’s skyline for the past 40 years but now we must move on, bring it down and look forward to the site’s bright future.
“I’m not letting anything get in the way of creating the high-quality, well-paid jobs people are crying out for.
“That’s why we’ll be signing up local businesses to get on site as early as August to demolish the remaining buildings, with the buildings and structures down within a year – way ahead of our original schedule.
“The sooner the site is cleared, the sooner we can get on with transforming it and realise its potential as a powerhouse for clean energy and advanced manufacturing, creating thousands of good-quality, well-paid jobs for local people.
“Since we secured a Freeport, the phone hasn’t stopped ringing with investors and at this rate there’s not going to be enough land to keep up with demand.
“For example, GE Renewable Energy’s project – which we secured thanks to our Freeport status – will support 2250 jobs in construction alone, with an extra 750 direct highly skilled jobs and close to 1500 more in the supply chain when it’s up and running.
“But there’s no time to pat ourselves on the back – we need to crack on with the job and step it up a gear to clear up the site to get more investors over the line.”