COMPANIES are sharing more than £1m of contracts to build a County Durham firm’s wind farm, bosses have revealed.

Banks Renewables says businesses across the region are benefiting from work on its Lambs Hill development, close to Stillington, near Stockton.

The four-turbine scheme is due to start producing electricity in the coming months.

The project was approved five years ago, but received criticism from The Lambs Hill Action Group, which raised concerns over noise and the farm’s impact on the local landscape.

However, Banks, which is part of the Banks Group and headquartered in Meadowfield, near Durham City, always said the development had strong community support, and bosses say they have now fulfilled a planning promise by giving North-East businesses work.

Although Lancashire’s Cheetham Hill Construction has been appointed main contractor, officials say regional firms are benefitting greatly, with more than £310,000 of contracts going to companies across Teesside.

They include waste recycler, Scott Brothers, based in Billingham, near Stockton, BS Scaffolding, in Middlesbrough, and Stockton’s Hope Construction, as well as accommodation and catering suppliers.

Further afield, contracts worth £740,000 have been given to Newcastle’s Express Reinforcement and testing and inspection firm, ESG, while rainwater harvesting equipment supplier, Oaklands Environmental, based in Washington, Wearside, is also involved in the scheme.

Lewis Stokes, Banks Group’s community relations manager, said: “Working with businesses based in the communities around our projects is a key element of the way we work and we’re lucky to have a range of high-quality North-East suppliers.

“We design all our schemes to bring a range of tangible economic, employment and environmental benefits to the areas where they are based, and awarding these contracts is just one of the ways we fulfil this promise.

“Work on Lambs Hill is progressing well and we’re looking forward to being able to generate green energy by the end of the year.”

Mr Stokes added Banks has set up a community liaison committee, alongside residents, parish council and Stockton Borough Council representatives, to make sure people are kept informed about the project’s progress.

He said a fund will be put in place, worth £10,000 a year over the wind farm’s 25-year lifespan, to support local causes and organisations.

Banks Renewables has wind farms across the north of England and Scotland.

Its regional schemes include the 12-turbine West Durham site, near Tow Law, while it also hopes to start work on the six-turbine Moor House development, near Darlington, later this year.