Regeneration projects have been at work to revamp and revitalise Teesside in the past 10 years. Today Joanne Welford shines the spotlight on Redcar and Cleveland for a look back - and forward - at the borough’s progress.
A DIP back into the archives of 10 years ago unearths some headlines that seem all too familiar to today’s agenda.
The campaign to build a new swimming pool at Redcar was shouting loud and demands for an aid package to compensate for the loss of steel jobs was delivered to Tony Blair.
The development of the Coatham area of Redcar was under debate as were plans to improve the beach front at Saltburn.
Move on a decade and it is interesting to see what has changed.
The issue of steel jobs remains an emotive subject and after a rollercoaster ride, a more secure future has been delivered with the recent buy out of Teesside Cast Products by Thai firm SSI.
Redcar’s regeneration is also firmly underway.
A £31m project will provide the town with a pool, leisure and civic facilities on the site of Redcar library.
Work on sea defences is being carried out and plans to revitalise the sea front including the development of a new vertical pier and the creation of a creative industries centre called The Hub are on going.
Redcar isn’t the only town in the borough - and it isn’t the only one to benefit from Redcar and Cleveland Council’s multi-million pound strategy designed to breathe life into the area.
Work has begun in the Greater Eston area - starting with a £3.5m eco village to create the first zero-carbon homes in Redcar and Cleveland.
The project will see 15 new homes and a further 11 terraced houses refurbished on Queen Street, South Bank.
And £1m of funding has been secured for Skelton Industrial Estate in an attempt to generate new jobs and businesses for East Cleveland.
The booming Victorian seaside town of Saltburn is attracting visitors by the bucket load, schools and colleges across the borough have been rebuilt, the market town of Guisborough won funding to help improve its visitor profile and improvements have been made to the forest and walkway on the edge of the town.
All in all, it is safe to say regeneration projects have become something of a watchword.
Councillor Mark Hannon agrees.