THE team behind one of the region's largest business parks which is expected to create more than 12,000 jobs is celebrating after completing an important phase of the development.

A further 96,000sq ft of office space is to be released after the completion of a building on the Quorum site at Balliol Business Park East, North Tyneside.

The £26m building is the latest stage of Quorum Development Partners' plan to create up to 1.5 million sq ft of office space on the former 47,305-acre Viasystems factory site.

The development is expected to create 12,500 jobs over the next eight to ten years.

Designed by architects Red Box Design Group, the building is four storeys high and has a reception area that extends upwards on to all floors with a feature staircase. Quorum recently attracted the Inland Revenue to an earlier phase of the development - which created more than 600 jobs.

Quorum's property agents DTZ Debenham Tie Leung and Knight Frank are in talks with potential tenants for the office space.

Steve Davis, director of Quorum Development Partners, said: "We are pleased to announce the completion of this new phase of the development.

"The Quorum scheme is progressing rapidly, and this is down to our dynamic professional team which is driving forward our ambitious plans. Quorum's office space is close to the city centre, with good transport links and incorporates creative architecture and leading-edge technology - we have found these features combined are in great demand."

The Quorum team is now turning its attentions to two landmark buildings to be constructed in Benton Lane, comprising 120,000sq ft of office space.

The site has a number of features to draw potential tenants - including a central location in North Tyneside close to Newcastle city centre and Metro and bus links.

It also has Enterprise Zone status until August 2006.

For more information about the Quorum scheme, go to www.quorumdevelopment.co.uk

Published: 22/06/2004