BOSSES at a North-East science park have announced dramatic expansion plans to create more than 10,000 jobs and make the region a global leader in high tech innovation, The Northern Echo can reveal.

Durham Council Council wants to triple the size of Netpark, at Sedgefield, County Durham, and attract some of the sharpest scientific minds to develop life-changing products.

Netpark, which was opened 10 years ago by then Prime Minister Tony Blair, is already home to businesses that have developed breakthrough innovations - such as a mask that can cure diabetic blindness, and security scanners which protect ports and airports from terror threats.

By 2025, the park will host an additional 200 companies on council-owned land to the north of the existing site, said Dr Simon Goon, managing director of Business Durham, who is spearheading the project with Durham University and the Centre for Process Innovation.

The expansion would create about 3,500 new jobs on the park and an additional 7,500 at local manufacturers and suppliers.

In addition, Netpark plans to host its own University Technical College and launch an apprenticeship programme to train the next generation of technicians.

The proposals could lead to construction of an on-site hotel, conference centre, crèche, gym and shop to create a self-contained creative hub that will forge links with similar sites around the world.

The Government is said to be very excited by the plans which will require public and private sector funding to make them a reality.

A council meeting last month approved £12.9m to improve Netpark’s services, such as utility supplies, broadband and roads, ahead of a phased expansion plan to create The Global Hub for Materials Integration.