Ryder will now work up designs for the first 100,000 sq ft building which will be followed by a similar sized second block.

The office towers will form the gateway to the £350m Newcastle Science Central site which is being developed by Legal & General Capital, Newcastle City Council and Newcastle University.

Sir Robert McAlpine picked-up the latest job on the site for the £29m Learning and Teaching Centre project for the University which is due to start in September.

McAlpine also finished the flagship Core building on the site more than two years ago while Bowmer & Kirkand is constructing the Urban Sciences Building which is due for completion in September.

Newcastle Science Central is a 24-acre science and technology hub on the former brewery site, famed for brewing Newcastle Brown Ale.

The development is located in Newcastle’s city centre and is set to create over 4,000 jobs, 500,000 sq ft of office space, and 450 new homes.

Laura Mason, Director of Direct Investments at Legal & General Capital, said: “Forming a significant next step in this major city centre regeneration project, the delivery of the Grade A office space will help to act as an important catalyst for further investment in Newcastle Science Central.

“With a proven track record in cutting edge, quality design, and experience working with the team on the laboratory facility, we feel confident that Ryder is the right firm to help us achieve our vision.”

The firm said the eight new plots in the Central Docks area were attracting interest from investors and developers, with several groups visiting Liverpool to see the opportunities on offer first hand.

It has already signed up a developer for a residential scheme and expects more than £300m of construction work to be underway across the historic docklands site by the end of the year.

The Central Docks neighbourhood forms part of the £5bn scheme to transform 150 acres in the biggest regeneration project in the history of Liverpool.

Peel has already agreed terms for a residential project on the Central Docks site

Peel hopes the Central Docks neighbourhood will be built out with over 2,000,000 sq ft of mixed-use floorspace including 750,000 sq ft of offices and over 1,000 new waterfront apartments.

Lindsey Ashworth, Director of Development of Liverpool Waters, said: “Liverpool Waters is a unique opportunity to invest in a world-famous waterfront and it’s no surprise that this latest phase of the project has already generated interest from investors and developers.”

Although the masterplan for Liverpool Waters was announced ten years ago, progress has so far concentrated on the Princes Dock neighbourhood, the new home of the Cruise Liner Terminal, with the bulk of effort going on behind the scenes to secure detailed planning permissions.

Princes Dock neighbourhood matersplan

By the end of this year, the team at Liverpool Waters are expecting to see over £300m of construction work starting on site.

Ian Pollitt, Assistant Project Director at Liverpool Waters, said: “Central Docks represents a watershed moment for Liverpool Waters.

“There has been an incredible amount of work done behind the scenes to get us to this point but thanks to the positive attitude of the people of Liverpool, Liverpool City Council and other partners we are now in a position to proceed with this next exciting phase of the project.”