A MULTI-million-pound investment in a former shipyard could create up to 800 jobs in the region, it was revealed last night.

English Partnerships (EP) is investing £4.5m in the former shipyard at Haverton Hill, near Billingham, Teesside, safeguarding 200 jobs and creating 510, with the potential to create up to 800.

Part of the 52-acre site is home to engineering, safety training and chemical packaging businesses, and EP is working around tenants to create sites for industry development.

The plan is to redevelop the site, build one-and-a-half kilometres of road and prepare plots for 36,679sq ft of industrial space.

A master plan is being prepared for the site, which is contaminated by asbestos from its shipbuilding days, and a planning application will be lodged for the works with Stockton Borough Council.

John Hellens Contracts is carrying out decontamination work at a cost of £600,000.

Once that is finished, EP will begin the development by preparing the land for building and creating a road and utility infrastructure.

The development is expected to be finished by December next year, when the plots of land will be sold for almost £2m for private sector development.

Some fire-damaged buildings have been demolished and a specialised shed for prefabricating steel has been repaired and is on the market.

David Gluyas, project manager and senior engineer, said: "The whole site is designed to be sustainable. The concrete on the site will be broken up and re-used there, so we don't have to quarry any more stone from the countryside."

A transport plan will be developed to encourage more people to use buses or cycle and walk rather than use cars.

EP is working with Stockton Borough Council and One NorthEast on the project.

Bob Gibson, leader of Stockton Borough Council, said: "This will give a huge facelift to the site which will make it much more attractive to incoming businesses.

"This is a good site which has become a little run down, but this investment will put that right and hopefully attract new businesses and more work for the businesses already based there."