THE latest tenant of Darlington's Lingfield Point complex has signed on the dotted line.

South Durham Healthcare NHS Trust is taking a 28,000sq ft building at Lingfield Point, to house a medical records facility.

It will replace facilities at Darlington Memorial Hospital and Bishop Auckland General Hospital.

Most of the staff from the existing records units will transfer to the new operation, which is due to open at the end of March, but a small number will remain in each hospital.

The trust has taken a 15-year lease on the building within the complex, which is already home to the likes of cigarette firm British American Tobacco.

A spokesman for the trust said: "Medical records are currently kept at both Darlington and Bishop Auckland and this move will enable us to do away with the duplication of patient records.

"Most of the staff will transfer to the new facility when it opens."

The £16m first phase of the redevelopment of the former centre of European wool manufacturing for Patons and Baldwins, is nearing completion, with the investment transforming Lingfield Point into a secure and dynamic location for manufacturing, warehousing and office accommodation.

The 125-acre Lingfield Point site offers 1.6 million sq ft of commercial premises.

It was acquired by Lingfield Investments Ltd in 1998, and substantial investment is being made in upgrading the complex so that it meets the demands of the region's business community in the 21st Century.

There are closed circuit television cameras and 24-hour security on site.

Eddie Humphries, estate manager at Lingfield Point, said: "We are delighted to be able to welcome the trust to Lingfield Point and look forward to a long and productive working relationship with them.

"Our aim is to provide cost-effective and flexible premises for a wide range of users and our simplified approach to leasing means that we are completely flexible in the terms we can offer tenants," he said.