CITY centres across the North-East are on the verge of a population explosion, according to a report released today.

The report, compiled by property company Knight Frank, is predicting a mass return to the city centres over the next decade.

The study suggests that the city centre of Newcastle, currently known mainly as a retail and leisure centre, will see a 73 per cent population boom by 2015 - up from 5,500 residents to 9,500.

The report predicts an average of 400 apartments a year being made available in the city over the next seven years.

The report also predicts similar patterns of growth in Sunderland, Middlesbrough and Durham, where house prices are rising at a faster rate than any other regional centre.

Liam Bailey, head of residential research for Knight Frank, said: "We estimate that, to date, there has been more than £1.2bn of residential development alone in the five big Northern centres.

"Looking forward to planned development, this investment can be regarded as the tip of the iceberg.

"We estimate there will be a further £3bn invested in residential development over the next decade."

The report, Future City, also suggests that the drift will be driven not by young professionals, who have traditionally made up the city centre population, but by older families.