The Institute for Learning and Teaching in Higher Education has completed negotiations to extend into the last unit left in the first phase of new building at the York Science Park.

The member-based service which provides better practice for teachers, lecturers and students in higher education first arrived there 18 months ago. Today it has a staff of 50 - and the extension was necessary.

It puts a bow on the 45,000 sq ft first phase known as Genesis which throughout this year was marketed hard by DTZ Debenham Tie Leung, targeting massively growing high tech companies which either already had a base in the Science Park's Innovation Centre and were seeking bigger premises, or companies from outside.

Apart from the Institute, occupants of Genesis are now Ioko 365, HCI, Salamander, Yorkshire Housing and computer-graphics print firm Pindar.

And no sooner is that project over at the Science Park when a new one begins - this time on the final available land to the north of Genesis.

Next on the agenda for developers P & O Developments and partner, the University of York, is a 30,000 sq ft three storey "IT incubator" - serviced offices managed by the York Innovation Centre and devoted entirely to Internet companies.

Jamie Wheldon, associate director of DTZ, which is acting for P & O Developments, said: "Planning consent will shortly be sought on the four acre site."

Talks have also begun on the prospect of a three storey building there of up to 13,000 sq ft which could become the new offices for a proposed controversial new regional strategic health authority in York.

But this remains shrouded in uncertainty given that the proposal for a new North and East Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire Strategic Health Authority has been attacked by all four authorities in the Humber region as well as politicians there for being "too remote" at the Science Park.

Updated: 10:20 Tuesday, February 26, 2002