How the new gallery in Middlesbrough will look

Regional development agency One NorthEast has pledged �4.6m for the project in Middlesbrough.

The cash, which is being channelled through the Tees Valley Partnership, will go towards the construction of the new glass art gallery and to develop a cultural quarter in the town.

The creation of a civic square around the gallery that will link to Middlesbrough's central library, other key public buildings and existing open-air artworks, is also planned.

It is expected the new gallery will attract about 110,000 visitors a year.

Alan Clarke, chief executive of One NorthEast, said: "One NorthEast's �4.6m pledge is a demonstration of our confidence in the gallery and its new cultural quarter as a major economic driver for Middlesbrough and the wider Tees Valley.

'Economic benefits'

"You only have to look at the new business, new developments and new infrastructure that has come to NewcastleGateshead on the back of the European Capital of Culture bid, to see that cultural regeneration does bring with it wealth creation and tangible economic benefits."

The three-storey art gallery is being designed by Dutch architects, Erik van Egeraat Associates and will feature a glass fronted entrance, eight separate exhibition spaces, workshops, an education suite and auditorium and a conservation studio.

In addition to being a showcase for contemporary painters, sculptors and designers from across the globe, the gallery will also be a permanent home for more than 2,000 works by leading 20th Century artists from throughout the Tees Valley.

Alistair Arkley, chairman of the Tees Valley Partnership, added: "The gallery will be at the heart of a new cultural quarter that will bring huge benefits to the town as well as improved facilities for local people.

"However, we also expect the benefits to be much wider, with the Tees Valley as a whole enjoying a higher national and international tourist profile."

The free gallery is set to open in 2006.

In addition to the �4.6m grant from One NorthEast, the gallery has also secured �4.5m from Arts Council England, �4.67m from Middlesbrough Council and private investment of more than �600,000.