WE are heading towards one of the most important periods in the region’s recent industrial history.
A series of landmark projects are set to go ahead that could lay the foundations of our long-term economic recovery. They include:
 

*Tees Valley’s bid for a City Deal, which must be submitted by January 15.
If approved, the region will be handed greater powers from Whitehall to control its own affairs on the understanding it has a robust plan to attract private investment, boost skills and create new jobs.
The first wave of city deals for Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds, Liverpool, Newcastle, Nottingham, Sheffield and Manchester were granted last summer.
The Government has hinted that only about half of the 20 applications in this round will be approved.
Tees Valley Unlimited is working with the area’s five local authorities to put together a compelling case. They face competition from the likes of local rivals Sunderland, as well as towns such as Milton Keynes, Ipswich, Reading and Bournemouth, proving that you don’t need to be a city to win a City Deal.
The successful bids will be revealed on July 5.

*The North-East will once again become the cradle for a transport revolution when Nissan Sunderland begins making the all-electric hatchback called the Leaf in the coming weeks. A new battery plant will also go live.
Nissan admitted at the end of last year that it had been disappointed by sales of the Leaf in the US, which has failed to capture the imagination of motorists. The version of the car being built on Wearside, however, will offer a greater range between charges than earlier models.
Production of the Leaf forms part of what will become the busiest period in Nissan's 26 year history in the region as staff numbers at the plant soar to 6,400 by 2015.
 

*Japanese manufacturer Hitachi is about to begin building its new train assembly plant in Newton Aycliffe.
The factory will employ 730 skilled workers when it starts production in 2015.

*The triumphant return of the former Corus iron and steelworks in Redcar gave the region a warm glow last spring.
Owner SSI has been delighted by steel production at the plant, but the company balance sheet has made for grim reading.
A sharp drop in global steel prices and the high costs involved in bringing the blast furnace back to life has seen the firm juggling cash; negotiating extended terms with creditors and securing new investors to keep the operation afloat ahead of the next crucial phase. A new £35m pulverised coal injection plant comes on stream at the end of this month that will make the business much more competitive. It won’t provide the answer to all of SSI’s problems, but without it the long term future of the site that employs 1,800 workers would be uncertain.
 

*York Potash is waiting to hear if it has secured for planning permission on a project that could create up to 5,000 mining jobs.
The world's largest and best-quality seam of polyhalite, which can be used to make fertilizer component potash, sits beneath the North York Moors.
As the mine is located in a National Park, the company has several hurdles to overcome if the ambitious scheme can reassure concerned residents.