The Tees Valley jobs market looks set to receive a boost with the announcement that investment and development company Gort has attracted the first tenant to Hopetown park in Darlington.

The National Care Standards Commission (NCSC) - the government body set up to regulate social care services and private and voluntary healthcare - will move into the newly refurbished first phase, known as Studio 1, at the 3.6 acre former Whessoe site, in May.

The 5,140 sq ft studio, which is part of an original workshop building at the rear of the site, has been sympathetically redeveloped by Gort to provide a high specification, contemporary working environment.

The studio has proved ideal for the NCSC's requirements and Henry Gwyn - Jones, managing director at Gort, is delighted to welcome them to the site.

He said: "At Hopetown Park, we aim to create affordable, high-quality commercial space, to entice businesses and ultimately jobs to the area.

"Darlington has excellent road, rail and air transport links but has suffered from a lack of good office accommodation.

"The NCSC clearly recognizes this and we are pleased that, after considering several other locations across the North-East, it has decided to base its regional home in Darlington."

When completed, phase one will transform the former workshop into 20,000 sq ft of low-cost, high-specification offices and will set the standard for the rest of the site which will provide a total of 80,000 sq ft of office accommodation.

Nick Atkinson of DTZ Debenham Tie Leung who acted for the NCSC, said: "The attraction of a national organization to Hopetown Park is great news for Darlington.

"We are confident that this is the first in a long line of prestigious tenants to be enticed by the high-quality office accommodation on offer."