A £2M business park is expected to help create about 100 jobs in a market town in the region.

Work is about to start on the Atrium Business Park, at The Triangle, in Guisborough, near Teesside. It will provide office space for seven small companies.

The site, on the main A171 route into the town, is being developed by property development and consultancy group Atrium, based at Castle Eden, County Durham.

The venture is the first of many similar developments Atrium hopes to work on over the coming years. The company has already secured a second site in Hartlepool, where it hopes to build a bigger office park and create 270 jobs.

Partner Mike Graham said: "Guisborough has long been a highly desirable place to live, especially for professional people, but until now there has not been any purpose-built office accommodation.

"The development of what everyone knows as The Triangle is providing us with an opportunity to create lowmaintenance offices, incorporating the latest technology, with all the benefits of the historic town on the doorstep."

Atrium will begin work on site next month and the first units will be ready for occupation in the autumn.

All units, including six at 1,600sq ft and the seventh at 2,000sq ft, will be offered for sale.

Mr Graham said: "We feel this is an ideal location for companies such as solicitors and accountants, as well as service companies.

"Increasingly, the partners and directors of these companies want to own their own premises rather than lease or rent them - but there aren't many opportunities for them to do this in such a prime location."

Atrium was formed primarily as a consultancy about 18 months ago by Mr Graham and Paul Saunders, who both have many years experience in the property and construction industries.

The pair now want to grow the development side of the business and have acquired a site at the Queens Meadow Business Park, in Hartlepool, where they plan to build a 27,000sq ft office development.

"We have been acting as consultants, giving people development advice and managing development projects from the cradle to the grave," said Mr Graham.

"Now we are in a position to buy and develop sites ourselves and as joint ventures."