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A major riverside regeneration project in South Tyneside has been awarded £1.85m in government funding.

The Holborn project in South Shields, which will see former industrial land and disused docks transformed into a vibrant development, has secured the money from the Brownfield Land Release Fund.

The funding will be used for civil engineering works needed to prepare the nine-hectare site for development and facilitate the construction of around 300 new homes.

Significant remediation works are needed to make the site more suitable for development, including the installation of a new quay edge wall, regrading of the site, decontamination of the ground and raising of the former dry docks to overcome serious flooding issues.

Councillor Tracey Dixon Leader of Â鶹ÊÓƵ said: "This is excellent news and this funding will help us deliver our ambitions for Holborn.

"This area has been largely derelict for many years and bears many of the hallmarks of its former heavy industrial use, which are currently constraints to development.

"This funding will enable us to carry out the engineering works needed to overcome these significant site issues.

"This scheme will bring brownfield land back into use and transform it into a vibrant riverside quarter that people will be proud to call home."

The project meets a number of council priorities to create conditions for recovery and growth, invest in the natural and built environment and support town centres.

The enabling works gained planning permission in August.

The site, which is currently split level, will be reprofiled to create a gentle slope from Commercial Road to the Tyne, making it more suitable for development. Three of the docks will be restored to preserve the area's industrial heritage.

The works are anticipated to get underway in the new year. A planning application has been submitted for the whole scheme (detailed for phase 1 and outline for phases 2 & 3) and will be considered by Planning Committee this Autumn.

Last year, Keepmoat, working in partnership with Cussins, were appointed as the development partner to deliver high-quality family houses and apartments and the associated infrastructure, including a new riverside promenade.

The scheme, which builds on the considerable investment that has already gone into regenerating South Shields, has secured £9.4million from the North East Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) for the delivery of a future phase of office accommodation.