WORK has been completed on the first phase of a multi-million business park near Malton.

Eden Business Park, which is located immediately off the A64 by the Pickering Road, near Eden Camp, is expected to create 600 new and sustainable jobs.

The first phase of this mixed industrial and office development comprises top specification warehouse accommodation in two terraces of 20,000 sq ft each, with four units of 5,000 sq ft and two units of 10,000 sq ft each.

The units are now ready for occupation on a freehold or leasehold basis.

Yorkshire-based developers CDP Marshall said they are confident that the 30-acre business park will fulfill a demand for quality industrial units with offices.

Miles Lawrence, director of York-based property consultants Lawrence Hannah, who are marketing Eden Business Park, said: “This is a very important development for the Malton area.

“This initial speculative first phase has provided six high-quality industrial warehouses, in a superb location, with easy access to York, the East Coast and to Yorkshire’s excellent motorway network.

“Now that work has been completed on site, we are working with a number of occupiers who want to either rent or buy the available units. We will be making more specific announcements about companies moving on the business park shortly. Watch this space.”

Mr Lawrence added: “Location is proving to be key. The business park is just a mile north of Malton, a flourishing market town, which has reinvented itself as the food capital of North Yorkshire. There is no doubt that these units could provide much-needed accommodation not only for the food processing, food distribution and farm-related sectors but also the wider market in general.

Malton councillor Lindsay Burr said: “As a county and district councillor for Malton, I’m delighted to see the construction of the business units. Hopefully this will encourage more jobs, business, economic viability and investment into Ryedale.”

The business park features a landscaped, semi-rural environment with infrastructure works such as access roads and a roundabout already in place. These works have been part funded by a £2.1 million grant through the Local Growth Fund.

The grant was awarded by the York, North Yorkshire and East Riding Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) after a bid was put forward by CDP and Ryedale District Council (RDC).

Gary Housden, head of planning at RDC, said: “The Eden Camp development site was approved a part of the Malton Cluster sites put forward in 2015.

“Infrastructure built at the site – new roads, roundabout and drainage facilities/lagoon were installed following the grant of reserved matters approval and assisted by LEP funding

Mr Housden added: “The recently constructed industrial units by Marshalls follow the design principles of the outline permission and also the Design Code for the Food Enterprise Zone Local Development Order resulting in six high-quality, well-landscaped units.

“There has already been interest in the newly-constructed units which the council anticipates will generate further interest for the development of adjacent plots on this prime commercial site.”