ONE OF North Yorkshire's most successful privately-owned property companies is set for a booming New Year.

S Harrison Group, of Malton has announced a record order book for 2004, with projects valued at more than £100 million coming on stream in the next 12 months.

The firm has seen its business grow across the north of England.

Major projects include a £40 million scheme to redevelop Workington town centre, in Cumbria, and two regeneration schemes in Sheffield, together valued at more than £20 million.

Harrison, which employs more than 200 people in the Yorkshire region alone, puts its success down to its partnering approach.

Martyn Harrison, chairman, said: "It's a good lesson for businesses in any sector - not just development and construction where our focus lies. Best value is delivered by teamwork rather than confrontation, and we have established excellent working relationships with both private and public sector organisations across the region, to deliver real value-for-money solutions, often on difficult or challenging sites."

Harrison's recent work in York includes Merchant Exchange, which houses the city's first one million pound apartment, and the regeneration of the run-down Tedder Road area of Acomb, where Harrison's partnership with Home Housing and City of York Council has provided a model for other social housing developments. The firm hopes to win approval for a major housing development at Birch Park, to deliver much-needed new housing on a brownfield site.

In Scarborough, the company is building a new St Catherine's Hospice and will start work in the New Year on a new £7 million private hospital for Independent Care. In Whitby, it is nearing completion of the £16 million Whitehall Landing mixed housing scheme, in partnership with KeyLand Developments.

The company announced record profits of £2.8 million this year.

Updated: 15:00 Tuesday, December 16, 2003