Confirmation that Moray Badenoch and Strathspey Enterprise (MBSE) are to relocate their headquarters to the Forres Enterprise Park has secured the provision of new business premises for other tenants, and brought the prospect of more job opportunities to the Moray town.

MBSE have clinched the deal with local firm Springfield Properties Limited (SPL) who are buying 5 acres of land on the Enterprise Park to the east of the town. With MBSE as an anchor tenant SPL will build over 55,000 sq. ft of business premises on the park - the Local Enterprise Company will occupy 5,500 sq. ft with the remainder being available for other companies. A number of prospective tenants have already expressed an interest in the site.

Securing such private sector property provision is a significant achievement for MBSE as, outwith Inverness, business properties have tended to be provided through public sector investment.

Andrew Anderson, deputy chief executive at MBSE said: "This is a ground breaking deal for MBSE and demonstrates great confidence in the Moray economy. We are delighted that a local property developer is prepared to make such a massive investment in Forres Enterprise Park.

"The availability of property is a key factor in bringing new jobs and economic activity to an area - this has been proven frequently throughout the Highlands and Islands - and we are confident the properties to be built on the Enterprise Park will do the same for Forres."

Sandy Adam, managing director of Springfield Properties said: "Undertaking a design and build project like this is a new and exciting venture for us, and we're very pleased to be moving forward with developments on the Enterprise Park. Work has already begun on the site, with completion due in about nine months time.

"Securing the land and the MBSE office contract means we can now begin actively marketing the rest of our sites on the Park. We have already had some informal expressions of interest and we're now in a position to follow these up properly. We're confident that there is a significant demand for high-quality office and business properties like those we're planning to make available."

MBSE's current offices, in the Elgin Business Centre, were originally intended for small businesses and the Local Enterprise Company occupies a number of offices on different floors. This has led to cramped conditions and the move to Forres will allow them to take advantage of a more effective working environment, as well as helping make the business park a more attractive location for other companies.

The relocation is also being achieved at a more or less neutral cost, with similar rent levels being charged for both MBSE's existing offices and the new premises. It will also be possible to cut the Enterprise Company's operating costs through savings in heating and lighting.

Andy Anderson said: "Moving into our new offices will practically revolutionise the way our staff are able to work together. In providing a service to our customers it is important that our different teams are able to interact rapidly and effectively and our present situation, spread out over various offices and floors, doesn't lend itself to this sort of open communication. We are anticipating real efficiency gains when we relocate to Forres.

"It is also important to stress that it will still be 'business as usual' for our customers in East Moray - our location in Forres will make no difference to the services we offer them."