A NEW tenant has taken possession of premises at Lingfield Point, in Darlington.

South Durham Healthcare NHS Trust has taken a 15-year lease on a 28,000sq ft building within the Darlington complex, which it will use to house a health records centre for Bishop Auckland General and Darlington Memorial Hospitals.

The £16m first phase of the relaunch of the former industrial site is nearing completion, with the investment transforming Lingfield Point into a site for manufacturing, warehousing and office accommodation.

The site covers 125 acres and was the former centre of European wool manufacturing for Paton and Baldwins.

It was acquired by Lingfield investments in 1998, and there has been substantial investment in upgrading the complex to meet the demands of business in the 21st Century.

Brenda Heap, patient services manager at South Durham Healthcare NHS Trust, said: "The high quality accommodation and facilities at Lingfield Point will enable us to continue to provide the excellent quality of service that is always our goal and also offer our staff a pleasant and modern working environment."

Eddie Humphries, Lingfield Point's estate manager, said: "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 offer tenants.

"We are pleased to welcome the trust to Lingfield Point and look forward to a long and productive working relationship."