COMPANIES are queuing up to move to Oxfordshire because it's such a good place in which to live and work, according to the developers of Oxford Business Park.

Arlington, who are building new offices on the site of Rover's former North and South Works at Cowley, have decided to start a new phase, writes Maggie Hartford.

Angus Lachlan, of Arlington, said: "We are confident that we can attract companies who are looking to move and the board has decided to provide the finance to expand."

As well as two phases of speculatively built new offices, there will be a pioneering "serviced office" block which companies will be able to rent for anything from a day to several years.

It will be a joint venture with Regis, which already has a unit on the park providing office furniture, receptionists, telephone system and computers for several different companies.

The new offices will be three times as big, and will have kiosk shops, such as a newsagent, taxi firm and dry cleaners.

Mr Lachlan said: "It is one of only three in the country and it will be in Oxford because the market is so buoyant here. The board has decided that Oxford is in the first division of park locations."

The park's latest coup is Electrocomponents, an electronics firm which is to build a new corporate headquarters on the park and has already moved 50 people there from Peterborough.

Mr Lachlan said the company decided to move to Oxford because it could not find people of the right calibre in Peterborough.

He added that Oxford has the necessary high-tech skills and the firm is pleased with recruitment so far.

Story date: Monday 22 February

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.