THE first part of work on a £170m development that will create up to 2,000 North-East jobs is nearly complete.

The pylons and overhead power lines that littered the development site at Central Park, Darlington - a 75-acre piece of derelict land just off the town's Haughton Road - have been removed.

They have been replaced by underground cables through a £3m investment to improve the environment and reclaim brownfield development land.

Tees Valley Regeneration, which is masterminding the transformation of the site, hailed the overall project as central to plans to bringing prosperity to the Tees Valley.

The overhead cables that used to run over homes around the Hundens Lane area have also been removed - improving living conditions for existing residents.

The undergrounding is the start of Tees Valley Regeneration's work on the site, which will be developed to include up to 600 homes, leisure and community facilities, offices, a hotel, bridges and transport links.

About 2,000 jobs will be created at Central Park and the project will take up to eight years to complete.

Work has also begun on building the Darlington Learning Park, due to open in September next year, which will see the relocation and expansion of Darlington College of Technology.

The £34.5m college will be a training centre with facilities including an academy for young people, technology centre, health and care centre, hair and beauty salons, media design centre, football pitches, learning resources centre and library.

Published: 19/04/2005