Member News
Guided tours of Teesworks are being offered as the 2,500-acre development site throws open its doors to the public.
From next month, people will be able to see for themselves the work which is going on at the former steelworks site on the south bank of the River Tees and the rapid progress which is being made on transforming Teesworks into a green energy hub and national centre for Net Zero industries.
The first tours are scheduled for November 1 and November 8 with two guided tours taking place on each date.
Teesworks chairman Chris Musgrave OBE said: “There has been a lot of talk about Teesworks in recent times, but we know that what the people of Teesside value most is being able to see things with their own eyes.
“That’s why we have been working on ways in which we can open up the site to the public so they can get up close to what is really going on here and see for themselves what is happening at Teesworks.
“We hope that holding a series of free tours will enable people to get a much greater understanding of the scale of development on the site, what has already been done and the exciting developments still to come.
“While photographs and videos help to give some idea of what Teesworks is all about, it’s only by seeing the development ‘in the flesh’ that you really get a sense of the transformational effect it will have on the landscape and the prospects of the area.”
The announcement of the Teesworks tours comes in the wake of an independent report which outlined the economic impact the development is set to create.
The study - entitled Teesworks: The Silicon Valley of Net Zero – found that a public investment of £560million in the site has already resulted in private investment interest of £4.96billion – a return of £9 for every £1 of public money put into Teesworks.
Report author Dr Walter Boettcher, Head of Research and Economics at commercial property agents Colliers, also concluded that over 10,000 operational and construction jobs are being created at Teesworks with a further 10,000-plus jobs in the supply chain, based on developments already started or in the final phases of being agreed.
Chris Musgrave said: “These figures are undoubtedly impressive and we are delighted with the findings of Dr Boettcher’s study. However, we believe that it is only by seeing Teesworks for themselves that people will really get a feel for what it is going to bring to the region.
“This is a nationally significant development for the UK happening right here on Teesside and we can’t wait to open it up to the public.”
People who would like to go on a tour of Teesworks will need to register their interest on the Teesworks website at www.teesworks.co.uk/tours
It is important to note that because Teesworks is a working development site, tours will be supervised and subject to strict health and safety protocols.
Attendees will also need to provide photo proof of ID before being allowed on the Teesworks tour.
