THE city centre location has been unveiled for a multi-million-pound International Marine Design Centre (MDC).

The £2.3m project will be at Central Square South, overlooking the River Tyne and close to Newcastle railway station.

Northern Defence Industries (NDI), which will administer the project, will also move from its Sunderland offices into the design centre, which is the first of its type in the country.

It will be run by three full-time members of staff and, it is hoped, North-East companies will share resources to help win big contracts.

NDI managing director Trevor Harrison said: "The Marine Design Centre will quickly become a recognised international centre of excellence for marine design skills, and our aim is to help add up to £100m to the region's defence and marine sectors through the winning of new business over the next ten years."

Ray Thompson, marine sector specialist from regional development agency One NorthEast, which helped fund the project by £1.5m, said: "The North-East has the experience and expertise that customers demand and the design centre will allow our industry to pool its strengths to win this work - bringing with it substantial economic gains and the potential for valuable new regional jobs."

The offices are expected to be in use by the end of the month