The scheme, led by urban regeneration company Sunderland arc, will be one of the North East's largest employment-led regeneration projects. It was given outline planning approval by the Secretary of the State in March 2007.

Sunderland arc and its partners Sunderland City Council, One NorthEast and English Partnerships are looking for a developer to bring a new business district to the city centre with new offices, homes and hotels. The Vaux site has also been earmarked for a new justice centre.

David Walker, chief executive, Sunderland arc, said: “Together with our partners we are now in a prime position to regenerate this crucial site with an employment-led scheme which will maximise the regeneration of the Vaux site.

The developer procurement process officially began on September 10 with a launch event planned for September 24.

Developers interested in finding out more information about the opportunity should email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .