Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen welcomed 15 new workers to Teesworks last week as work got underway to transform the iconic Steel House into a new base for the full redevelopment of the 4,500-acre site.

The building has been a significant landmark since it was opened in 1978 as the former headquarters of British Steel for its Redcar steelworks operation. The main six-storey, 240,000ft², building and the connected 24,000ft² data centre have been mothballed since the closure of SSI Steelworks in October 2015 but will now be given a new lease of life.

To kick-start the project, work has begun to strip the building, remove more than 3,500 pieces of redundant furniture and equipment and establish safe zones to allow surveyors and architects to investigate the condition of the building ahead of further remediation.

It is planned that this initial clearance and survey work will take three to six months, with works continuing over the following 18 to 24 months, by which time the first tenants are expected to arrive at Steel House.

The workers on site were recruited via Teesworks Skills Academy, established to help local people take advantage of job opportunities at Teesworks by training them to gain the skills they need and linking them with employers who are recruiting across the site.

Mr Houchen said: “Just a few short months ago, I revealed plans of how we were going to preserve, upgrade and redevelop Steel House, bringing it back into use and into the 21st century and today workers are on the ground to help make that vision a reality.

“These are the latest well-paid, good-quality jobs we are creating right here, right now, getting people into work through the Teesworks Skills Academy, which is already a great success with more than 1,000 people submitting their CVs to date, on top of almost 3,000 enquiries.

“I have always said that, where practical, we would try to keep some of the site’s most iconic structures and this work will give a much-needed upgrade to the building. When complete, it will project the confidence we have in the site and, along with the new ‘state of the art’ gatehouse, will help wow investors looking to base themselves here.”

Jacob Young MP and Kate Willard OBE, co-chairs of the Teesworks Heritage Taskforce, said: “We are delighted to hear that things are moving forward at Steel House – one of the most well-known structures on the site, which holds many fond memories for people in our communities who used to work there.

“The Taskforce has stressed the importance of recognising the real value of assets like this at Teesworks. In doing so, with Steel House, this approach is paying off by creating jobs in the short-term with more to come as the project advances. The plans to breathe new life into the building and surrounding area will make sure that it will play as important a part in the site’s future as it did in the past.”

Plans to transform the building and landscape the surrounding land were revealed by Mayor Houchen in February and will see the lower floors provide services for the people who work on the redevelopment of the former Redcar steelworks, including a creche, coffee shop and gym, with upper floors providing office space.