A MULTI-MILLION pound contract went up for grabs yesterday when a city council launched a drive to find a regeneration partner.

Newcastle City Council advertised across Europe for a developer to help regenerate a prime part of the city's East End, Walker Riverside, in a contract worth at least £300m over ten years.

The milestone event heralds the latest stage in the authority's city-wide regeneration strategy, Going for Growth.

It aims to get 20,000 homes and 30,000 jobs by 2020.

Council leader Tony Flynn said: "We hope to attract some of the world's biggest names in regeneration by placing our notice in the Official Journal of the European Community.

"The successful candidate will have a proven track record in regeneration."

The council first launched draft plans for the East and West ends last summer. It then embarked on its biggest consultation exercise, with more than 3,000 residents attending events.