UP TO 60 new jobs are set to be created in Weymouth after the owners of a business park revealed they are investing again to develop the area.

Mickey Jones, Chief Executive of DJ Property, has confirmed his firm will invest a further £3.5 million into the Link Park business site at Chickerell, and plans for the third phase of development are now being finalised and submitted to West Dorset District Council.

If given the go ahead, construction of 11 new units at the site could begin shortly and aim to be completed by the end of 2015.

Link Park has gone from strength to strength since construction first started at the site in 2012, with now nearly all of the business units occupied.

Almost £7 million has been invested into the site, and an estimated 80 jobs have been created at the local and national companies based at the park.

The latest phase of the site would see DJ Property reach its target of developing more than 50,000 sq ft of new employment space before the end of 2015.

Mickey Jones said he had already received numerous enquiries about the new units from both local and national companies.

Mr Jones said: “Phase one at Link Park let very quickly to national brands and phase two has predominantly let to local and regional companies who have expanded their businesses with larger, better quality space.

“DJ Property as a trusted, professional developer of commercial property continues to build long-term relationships with many local, national and international businesses.

“The third phase will consist of business units measuring between 1,650 sq ft and 2,500 sq ft and will be particularly attractive to local businesses that are looking to expand their business into higher quality new commercial space.

“I have already had expressions of interest from a number of national companies and large local businesses.

Mr Jones also told the Echo that construction of phase four of the development, which would create more units for national and local companies, would begin at some point in 2016.

He added: “Link Park is becoming the “go to” destination in Weymouth and Portland for tradesmen and the general public.

“The units will again be of market leading quality and are very visible from the busy Chickerell Link Road, just what occupiers are demanding in today’s market.”

The latest development and investment at the site has been welcomed by Michelle Hind, president of Weymouth and Portland Chamber of Commerce, who said it was encouraging news for the area.

She said: “Firstly, the investment fully supports our tag-line of ‘Now is the time to invest in Weymouth and Portland.’

“The Weymouth and Portland Chamber of Commerce fully supports any investment into the county which provided employment and business into the area.

“Now, we just need some investment into the town centre itself.”

Screwfix was the first firm to move into the site and Ian Caruana, manager of the store, praised the site and its accessibility as the reason for its success.

He said: “At Screwfix we pride ourselves on the speed, reliability and convenience of our service and Link Park offers the ideal location to enable us to offer service to the area’s tradesmen and DIY enthusiasts.

“We have enjoyed a successful first year at Link Park and look forward to continuing to provide the region’s tradesmen with easy access to all the essentials they need.”