BUSINESSES have begun making themselves at home in a £6.6m innovation hub.

Business Central Darlington opened its doors earlier this year and currently has 16 confirmed tenants, including First Call Healthcare, Northstar Ventures, Mood Clinic and Harvey and Hugo, with three businesses also using the centre’s shared open space.

The site offers space for up to 60 companies and will support the creation of at least 25 new businesses and more than 300 jobs over a 15-year period.

The four-storey building also offers spectacular views over Darlington, taking in a number of the town’s new developments, including the Feethams Leisure development, the planned Teesside University National Horizons Centre, the Central Park enterprise zone and the Department for Education building, as well as a number of new housing developments.

Vanessa Wood, centre manager at Business Central, said: “It is a life cycle – children will be able to go to school here, to college, to university, to get a job in Darlington or start up a new business here.”

John Werres, project manager at the council, said the new developments would continue to attract businesses to Darlington and would help the town to compete for external funding.

Councillor McEwan, the council’s cabinet member for economy and regeneration added: “Darlington is a forward looking town and is going through an exciting period of growth with lots of developments happening and more in the pipeline.

“It’s great to be able to stand in one of the success stories and look out over the town and see the changes that are taking place.”