Work has started on one of the largest regeneration and development projects in the north-east of England. £500 million will be invested into the scheme led by Tees Valley Regeneration and will comprise residential, commercial and leisure developments, which is expected to create up to 2,000 jobs.

The Commercial regeneration scheme will take place at Manhattan Gate, Middlehaven in Middlesbrough and will eventually become the business capital of the Tees Valley. The project is expected to take anywhere between 10-15 years to complete. However the first building, the 30,700 square foot three-storey Hudson Quay, is expected to be complete by summer 2005.

Development manager of The Helmsley Group, a property development and investment firm involved in the project told This is York.co.uk: "we are confident that with our involvement and the backing it is receiving from all the partners involved, it will be a major success."