The first turf was cut today (Tuesday, 16 January, 2001) on the second phase of development at Alness Point Business Park - one of Scotland's most picturesque business locations.

This will see a second 9,300 square foot office erected on the Easter Ross site where initial works began in 1997. This latest building will cost £950,000 and is being funded by Ross and Cromarty Enterprise (RACE), part of the Highlands and Islands Enterprise network. It will ideally suit high-tech businesses with a software design or research and development background. The building should be complete by June this year.

The new building named Tern House will be a similar design to Redshank House - the first office on the site which was completed on the business park development in 1998. Redshank House was subsequently occupied by Braidgrove in 1999 and the company are now engaged in a range of activities from software development through to provision of tele-business services.

Chief executive at RACE, Gordon Cox said: "This latest development is vital in our continuing efforts to attract new investment to Easter Ross, whether the new space is taken up by an expanding indigenous company or by an inward investor.

"We are talking to a number of potential tenants and would hope that this new office can be occupied as soon as possible.

"It is important for us to speculatively build premises like these as it increases our chances of getting a tenant, especially if they require accommodation quickly. This policy has proved to be very successful for us in the past, with several hundred jobs having been created as a result of our direct development of over 75,000 sq ft of office accommodation."

Alness Point Business Park - a former wartime RAF flying boat base lies beside the Cromarty Firth. Close attention was paid to the outstanding natural features of the area during its initial design - a considerable investment has been made in landscaping the site to provide a high quality environment for occupiers of the business park.

Further developments at the park, which has the capacity for some 150,000 square feet of offices and factories will be phased in over a number of years.

Chairman of RACE Sally Cartwright said: "This is the next chapter of a highly successful story for Alness and the surrounding area. Office accommodation in Alness has been in great demand over the last four years, bringing significant new employment opportunities to the local area."