TEESSIDE and Darlington are poised to become property hotspots for offices and retail space, a partner at a North-East law firm has predicted.

Major regeneration schemes along the River Tees, including at Middlehaven, in Middlesbrough, and the North Shore development, in Stockton, will earn the area national recognition, said Gareth Jones, of Crutes law firm.

And Darlington schemes, including the flagship Central Park development, close to the railway station, and Lingfield Point, are also landmark schemes for the area.

Mr Jones, commercial property partner at Newcastle-based Crutes, which recently opened offices in Stockton, said the Tees Valley had long been ignored as big players traditionally looked to the strongholds of Leeds and Tyneside when it came to establishing offices in the North.

But, after 13 years in the commercial property sector, he believes the trend is about to change.

"The properties that have already been developed in Stockton show that if you create the right quality of developments, and market them effectively, businesses will invest in the area," he said.

"Tees Valley Regeneration's exciting proposals for Middlehaven and North Shore will provide further demonstrations of the potential of the core Stockton and Middlesbrough area."

The £500m Middlehaven scheme will see the development of thousands of sq ft of office space, almost 800 new homes, a hotel, shops, restaurants and leisure use.

The £300m North Shore project will see housing, office and leisure facilities built on a 56-acre site in Stockton, creating 2,500 jobs.

Other developments include Morton Palms, in Darlington, Wynyard One and Wynyard Business Park, and the Queens Meadow site in Hartlepool.

"When you combine all this with the infrastructure projects that are already transforming the transport networks around the region, and the areas of excellence the Tees Valley is developing, it is realistic to predict exciting times ahead," said Mr Jones.

Mr Jones thinks the region has a chance to develop itself as "the North's hidden gem".

He said: "Providing the delivery matches the quality of the vision, I believe the Tees Valley can go from strength to strength and become a key national player."