WORK has started to deliver more than £4m worth of work to expand an industrial estate.

The CreateCity Group says it has begun the next phase of a project to develop The Future Business Park, in Shildon, County Durham.

The firm, which has already spent £5m on the site, says its latest investment will extend the park to about 500,000 sq ft of warehousing, office and retail space.

Ground has now been broken on the first phase of the new work, which involves a 40,000 sq ft of space for four multi-purpose industrial units.

Randall Orchard Construction, based in Richmond, North Yorkshire, has been appointed to lead the project, with the first four units scheduled to be completed by the autumn.

The CreateCity Group, which includes Frank’s the Flooring Store, last year invested in major landscaping of the site, which was re-branded in a project involving Shildon’s Sunnydale Community College for Maths and Computing, and Business Durham, Durham County Council's business division.

David Stubbs, from The CreateCity Group, said: "This is the start of an exciting new phase in the life of the Future Business Park.

"We are committed to investment in Shildon, with £5m of enhancements completed and in excess of £4m more to come, including these four units.

"This is an important site for Shildon, and we are grateful for the support of Durham County Council and Business Durham and local politicians and partners, including the North East Chamber of Commerce.”

Graeme Newton, Randall Orchard's managing director, added: "We are very happy to be involved in the development of this important site."