A review of disused buildings in a North Yorkshire town centre is under way.

Work has started to identify empty properties in Richmond that can be transformed into high quality office accommodation.

The work is being funded by Yorkshire Forward, as part of the Renaissance Market Towns (RMT) programme, and has been welcomed by community leaders.

Mayor Stuart Parsons said: "There is a definite need for more office accommodation in the town centre.

"It is vital for a viable economy."

Colin Grant, Richmond town manager, said: "Breathing new life into some of the empty buildings in Richmond is an important part of revitalising the town.

"This project is good news for the fabric and the vitality of the town centre."

Landlords, local councils and estate agents will be contacted over coming months to identify suitable buildings.

Andy Tordoff, head of rural renaissance for Yorkshire Forward, said: "This initial work to identify the potential for re-vitalising spaces in the town centre is critical in assessing whether these spaces can be realistically brought back into use.

"Yorkshire Forward aims to work in partnership with others to make this possible."

Plans to renovate a small number of empty spaces within the town centre will then be drawn up.

Possible sources of funding for this work include Yorkshire Forward, Richmondshire District Council, English Heritage and the European Regional Development Fund.

Mark Reynolds from Genecon, the company undertaking the work, said: "Genecon has been closely involved with the Renaissance Market Towns programme across the Yorkshire and Humber region and we are looking forward to working with Yorkshire Forward, Richmondshire District Council and the town centre community in this project.

"We recognise that this is a key initiative for the town, to ensure its long-term economic prosperity and vitality, and we will be working closely with all parties to identify an approach that can achieve re-use of the empty spaces."

Initial work on the empty spaces project is due to be completed by the end of this year. Work will continue until 2007.