A "bright and welcoming" business centre for small and growing companies which could create up to 75 jobs when fully let, has opened at Clifton Moor, York.

The Lord Mayor of York, Coun Janet Looker, launched the new £500,000 project in Audax Road.

The Evans Business Centre is the first by Evans Easyspace in the York area, creating five workshops and three offices, four of which have already been let.

Unveiling a plaque to mark the opening, Coun Looker described the centre as "bright and welcoming".

She added: "We need to be active in fostering the important small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) sector, so I congratulate Evans Easyspace and everyone involved in this project on their work, and look forward to seeing it become a thriving commercial centre in the near future."

Each of the eight units at the centre is designed to be let on Evans Easyspace's hallmark easy-in, easy-out licence to small and growing businesses. Offices range from 600 sq ft to 1,200 sq ft, and workshops from 1,250 sq ft to 1,750 sq ft.

Already settling in are Siemens Transportation Systems which services the railway industry; Peak Construction Ltd, which specialises in building and maintenance; Cooltec Services, which maintains air-conditioning and refrigeration systems and Pivotal Laboratories, which is using its unit as expansion space for its existing premises in nearby Aviator Court, Clifton Moor.

Tom Stokes, managing director of Evans Easyspace, said: "We are very pleased to now have a presence in York. I hope this marks the start of a long and mutually successful relationship."

He said that the easy terms give clients confidence and flexibility, "and a semi-inclusive licence that means clients know exactly what their premises' costs are going to be."

In common with all his centres, Clifton Moor was accessible and" ideal for businesses servicing clients throughout the north, yet only 1.5 miles from York city centre. Our clients will have their own front door and be in the midst of a busy mixed development."

The project was part of Evans Easyspace's plan to establish a national network throughout the UK, with 26 centres and many more in the pipeline.

The venture has been welcomed by the York and North Yorkshire inward investment agency, york-england .com.

Imelda Havers, its chief executive, said: "We're aware of the demand for this type of property in York and the fact that four of the units have been let indicates that this will be a highly-successful development both for inward investment and for indigenous businesses."

Updated: 09:24 Tuesday, October 12, 2004