WORK on a new science and technology park in Sedgefield will start this month after the final hurdles for the development were cleared.
The Council of the University of Durham has approved the location of two university technology projects in a building on NetPark, Sedgefield.
Now planning permission has been granted for the building and it will become The NetPark Institute.
Councillor Ken Manton, leader of Durham County Council which provided the building, welcomed the decision and said he was delighted the project could finally move forward.
He said: "After what to some may have seemed a long gestation, these two decisions signal the start of a new phase in the re-shaping of the county's economy.
"For too long now the county has been dependent on branch-plant manufacturing as the mainstay of its business economy.
"But we must look to the future, and for County Durham the future lies in building our own economy founded on the technologies of the 21st century.
"The NetPark Institute will be the catalyst for this change and now our plans and aspirations are finally to become reality."
Work on creating the institute is due to start later this month, with a projected completion date of February 2004.
Professor John Anstee, pro vice-chancellor and sub-warden of the University of Durham and a member of the NetPark Steering Group, said: "We are delighted to initiate this exciting and innovative development which will offer the opportunity to engage more extensively with business across the whole region."
Richard Prisk, regeneration manager for Sedgefield Borough Council, said this type of economic development was what the area needed.
He said: "This represents a major step forward for the borough's future economy.
"We will be placing NetPark at the heart of our economic strategy and working hard to ensure that local people and businesses can benefit from the opportunity presented by this exciting new venture based on the application of new, state-of-the-art technologies."
The first two projects to be launched at the institute will be the Centre for Advanced Instrumentation and the Digital Enterprise Technology project.
The CfAI uses state-of-the-art technology to improve the quality of astronomical imaging and observation.
The Digital Enterprise Technology project harnesses the latest developments in computer modelling, graphics and information management to give industry important new insights into developing their products.
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