AN EXPANDING North Yorkshire care company will be the first business to move into Escrick Business Park this summer.

Even as work continues to build the project for new offices and industrial units on the A19, Riccall Carers has bought a two-storey 1,300sq ft office on the site for £220,000.

The organisation employs ten office staff and up to 150 full and part-time people, offering qualified and experienced home care support workers across York, Selby and North Yorkshire. But it has been hampered by lack of space in Riccall.

While Riccall Carers offers help through local authorities and privately to up to 500 clients in their own homes, it could help 30 more clients if space allowed it to take up contracts in the offing, plus 30 more besides.

The move, expected in June, reflects huge interest in the new business location being speculatively developed by S Harrison of York. A further six businesses are set to sign up to buy offices and industrial units through joint agents Lawrence Hannah and Savills.

Tony Conroy, who founded Riccall Carers with his wife, Gill, in 1998, said: "Helping people to continue to live independently in their own homes is a growing market and, based on the quality of our service, we've seen a doubling of our business in the past 12 months.

"Our current premises simply don't match our expansion programme, but Harrison's Escrick development fits the bill perfectly. It will allow us to expand our recruitment programme as we are constantly looking to employ care staff."

The new business park offered a number of benefits over rival sites.

Mr Conroy said: "The fact that we could buy rather than lease offices is something which appeals to many small and medium-sized enterprises like ours. The location gives us excellent access to York, Selby, across Yorkshire and beyond, without the kind of traffic congestion we might experience in a more central city location, and that really matters to us."

Phil Hill, of S Harrison, said the huge response reflected continuing confidence about future prospects among Yorkshire companies.

When finished the business park will consist of 14 industrial and warehousing units ranging from 1,250sq ft to 10,000sq ft - almost half of the first phase release is already under offer - and 19 offices, ranging in size from 1,300sq ft to 10,500sq ft.

Mr Hill said: "Our confidence in providing spec build office and warehousing units here has been vindicated. The combination of great location, quality build and the opportunity to buy or rent has proved a winner for expanding regional businesses of which there are plenty around."

Robert Taylor, surveyor for Lawrence Hannah, said: "We have had inquiries from firms wanting to use the estate for a new head office or for warehousing."