DEVELOPERS of a business park are hoping to discover the next Damien Hirst by offering a solution to the region’s shortage of artists’ working space.

Lingfield Point, in Darlington, is offering space ranging from industrial space suitable for creating huge sculptures, to individual studios for visual artists such as painters.

The studios will be housed in some of the old Paton and Baldwin wool factory buildings at Lingfield Point, which have yet to be developed.

The scheme is part of the business park’s public art and cultural programme, which includes Futurescope, a two-year outdoor exhibition of a series of eight huge circular photographs and images.

One of the artists who has already taken up the business park’s offer of studio space is Darlington- based sculptor Geoff Simpson, who is studying an MA in fine arts at Sunderland University.

Mr Simpson said: “I contacted my local arts officer and was put in touch with Lingfield Point. I was shown what looked like a large, vacant workshop and I was impressed, but then a sliding door revealed a further massive space and I was amazed.

“My dream would be to use the space or something similar at Lingfield Point, for a colony of artists. The effect of having artists live and work in a particular area is well documented, and this has resulted in the development of cultural quarters in most new urban regeneration schemes. To have this facility in Darlington would be of tremendous benefit.”

John Orchard, director of Marchday, owners of Lingfield Point, said: “We are delighted to welcome Geoff to Lingfield Point and hope that he will be the first of a number of artists benefiting from dedicated studio space at Lingfield Point.

“There are no artists’ studios or artists’ working spaces in Darlington.

“The provision of these at Lingfield Point will be very advantageous for local artists and the wider community. Our ambition is to make Lingfield Point a place where art happens and in the artists’ studios it will literally happen.

“It would be fantastic if we discovered the next Tracey Emin or Damien Hirst here in Darlington.”