THE first newcomer to a revamped £120m North-East industrial complex could soon be on the way.

Negotiations with a tenant interested in a 30,000sq ft unit at the Lingfield Point site, in Darlington, are at an advanced stage.

It is believed the deal for the unit at the office and warehouse development, in McMullen Road, will be completed within days.

The site is already home to the Rothmans operations of British American Tobacco, employing more than 500 staff.

The news came as Lingfield House, the centrepiece building, was inaugurated after the completion of the first phase of the project yesterday.

The building's grand art-deco style reception hall, which includes a marble spiral staircase, has been renovated.

A spokesman for Lingfield Investments, which is carrying out the redevelopment of the 400,000sq ft site, said: "We can't say any more about the potential tenant, but we remain confident that the deal will be completed in the next few days."

There are an additional five industrial units, ranging from 20,000sq ft to 126,000sq ft.

Eddie Humphries, estate manager at Lingfield Point, said: "We have already had numerous inquiries about our other warehousing facilities, but no other negotiations are currently under way.

"They are suitable for use as warehousing or light manufacturing operations, with the added advantage of having offices nearby in Lingfield House.

"The 126,000sq ft unit could be partitioned into smaller units if there was a demand for the space."

Lingfield House is already home to Coats Crafts, which was born out of wool manufacturer Patons and Baldwins, as well as Barcode Solutions and Circulation Marketing.

Victoria Road-based marketing and public relations firm Recognition, which is handling the Lingfield Investment account, is also due to move into new offices at Lingfield House in the early part of next year.

There are two brownfield sites of 14 and 15 acres on either side of the complex which are also waiting for a development.

Planning permission for the sites, which could be used by companies wanting to build their own factories, is likely to be viewed favourably by Darlington Borough Council, particularly if they created jobs for the town.

The inauguration ceremony was celebrated by the unveiling of a specially commissioned piece of artwork celebrating Darlington's industrial heritage.

The artwork, which hangs in the reception area of Lingfield House, was designed by Phoebe Smith and took a year to complete.

It was unveiled by George Grindley, 74, a former chief engineer at the site and former locomotive driver Tommy Jenkins, 71, who had more than 60 years' service at the Lingfield site between them.

The inauguration of Lingfield House marks the completion of the first phase of the project, at a cost of £16m.

Mr Humphries said: "Our aim is to develop and regenerate the site in order to create an environment that will encourage businesses to locate to Darlington.

"We want to create a state-of-the-art facility that will serve both existing businesses and encourage new start-ups."

He said: "The unveiling of the magnificent tapestry, within Lingfield House, represents only the first phase of the project to transform the estate."

* For full details of how Lingfield Investments are transforming the site, see a special feature in the Business 2001 quarterly review in The Northern Echo, on Tuesday.