THE first tenants for a leisure and retail park in County Durham have been revealed.

Work on London and Amsterdam's £50m Dalton Park scheme, near the former mining village of Murton, south of Sunderland, has begun and the park is scheduled to open next March.

Four units have been let, with a further 20,000sqft of premises in the hands of solicitors.

Among the tenants lined up for the 300,000sqft park are ladieswear designer labels Joseph and pilot, which have both taken 3,000sqft units.

Furniture business Room and HKA menswear have taken 2,000sqft and 1,600sq ft units respectively.

As well as outlet shopping, the new centre will also feature major leisure attractions, such as cinemas and a hotel.

The development, seen as a major boost to the economy of east Durham, has the potential to create more than 1,100 jobs.

Commenting on the lettings, Mark Owen, project director for London and Amsterdam, said: "We are extremely pleased to announce the first tranche of lettings, which coincides with the start of work on the site.

"Linking leisure and retail will create a major attraction and the opportunity to develop try-and-buy concepts, where customers can try out leisure goods before they purchase them.

"To aid that concept, we are seeking to introduce an all-weather playing surface and a climbing wall."

Allenn Napier, leader of Easington District Council, said: "It marks the beginning of a major investment in Easington, and I am delighted that our partnership with London and Amsterdam is proving so successful."

The park is being designed by Napper Architects, in Newcastle. The letting agents are Lambert Smith Hampton.

Dalton Park has taken almost a decade of planning wrangles to become a reality.

Said to be the biggest boost to east Durham in half a century, the venture has endured a troubled history since the site was first marked for redevelopment in 1993.

The scale of the project prompted fierce opposition from Durham County Council and the application was eventually called in by the Government.

In February 2000 Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott swept aside planning guidelines and sanctioned the development.

But it was not until November last year that the final go-ahead was granted by Easington District Council.