THE Prime Minister last night gave his encouragement to ambitious development plans being drawn up to transform the economic heart of Teesside.

Tony Blair met Middlesbrough Mayor Ray Mallon and His Excellency Mohamed Ali Alabbar - Dubai's economic development minister and head of Emaar Properties.

They spent 25 minutes talking to Mr Blair, alongside MPs and business officials, at his County Durham constituency home in Trimdon, last night.

Emaar Properties, one of the world's biggest development companies, is responsible for transforming Dubai from a desert outpost into a thriving city and it hopes to bring its golden touch to the Tees Valley.

Mr Mallon, who invited the company to visit the region when he was on a fact-finding mission in the United Arab Emirates last year, said last night the Prime Minister had given his full support to the project.

Speaking outside Mr Blair's home after the meeting, he said: "The Prime Minister was very encouraged by what we told him and that we have been able to attract a high-profile company such as Emaar to Middlesbrough and the Tees Valley.

"I explained to him Emaar Properties was in the top five development companies in the world.

"We greatly appreciated his encouragement and he gave us his total support. It gave us quite a lift."

A delegation team from Emaar Properties said they were serious about investing in the region after meeting Teesside business leaders and MPs on Wednesday.

This was endorsed last night by Mr Alabbar, who said he hoped to create a residential and commercial development that would improve the quality of life for people living in the Tees Valley. He said: "If it does not create confidence, create jobs or opportunities then it is not viable.

"I certainly hope we can support the local economic environment for the well-being of the people in the area and to encourage investment into the area.

"The encouragement we received from the Prime Minister was critical for all of us."

Mr Mallon added that he hoped if the development was given the go-ahead, it would put the entire region - not just Tees Valley - in the spotlight.

He expects to hear from Emaar in the next few months to discover if the project has been given the go-ahead.

Ray Mallon column - Page 10