GOING to the office is becoming "a walk in the park" at Cobalt Business Park on North Tyneside.

Around 200 mature trees, up to 20-years-old, have been planted on the site.

Special equipment and planting techniques had to be used to plant the trees that are up to nine metres high. More than 35,000 shrubs have also been planted and the scheme will be completed with the planting of 70,000 daffodil bulbs in the autumn, for flowering in the spring.

The avenues of trees give instant maturity and structure to the 93-acre business park that is home to prestigious companies that include Procter & Gamble and Orange.

Nick Wright, senior landscape architect at Waterman Environmental, said the trees had been imported from Germany and had been used for North Tyneside City Challenge scheme.

He added: "They come from a vast, well-established tree nursery. Further considerable investment in the landscape is already planned, including the development of substantial woodland and wetland areas."

A 127-bedroom De Vere Hotel, with full conferencing, leisure and health club facilities, will open at Cobalt in June this year.