Work starts today on a landmark site in Sunderland city centre, which has remained derelict since the demolition of the Vaux Brewery in 1999.
Central to the plans for the £20m construction of phase one is a 60,000sq ft office building at the heart of the 5.5-hectare site.
The Vaux site will also be used as a venue for events and activities attracting people into the city as work continues.
Vaux is the first of five areas of the city to be developed in a 20-year regeneration scheme managed by Siglion, the development company working in partnership with Sunderland City Council.
The high-profile site will include office, retail, residential and leisure facilities.
An artist's impression of the development at the Vaux site. Credit: Siglion
The site, located to the north of St. Mary's Boulevard and bounded by the River Wear to the north, was bought by Tesco in 2001 after the brewery closed in 1999.
Tesco failed to secure consent for its plans for the site which included a large supermarket and car park and eventually sold the land to Sunderland City Council in 2011.
The current scheme was granted planning permission in June this year.
