Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) has confirmed a new tenant for an office building in Dingwall, in a move that will create more than 30 new jobs.
HIE has been working with the national parking operator, APCOA Parking to set up its first office in Scotland.
The company recently secured several new contracts leading to a need for expansion.
APCOA Parking has signed a 10-year lease agreement for 4b Druimchat View, Dingwall Business Park.
The building was occupied by HIE up until 2016.
It will now be used for the firm’s new processing centre to provide parking services and compliance management for clients on private and public land.
In recent years, APCOA has also invested in the north of England, including moving its customer service centre to Wigan.
Opening the new Dingwall office has also enabled the company to create full end-to-end resilience between the two centres, further strengthening the company’s business continuity plan.
New roles have already been created by APCOA in Dingwall including customer service, supervisory and managerial positions and recruitment is currently underway to fill more vacancies.
The company sees its establishment in Dingwall as a catalyst to securing more parking contracts and creating more jobs for the area in the future.
Carroll Buxton, HIE’s interim Chief Executive, said:
“We welcome APCOA’s decision to establish a new contact centre in Dingwall.
“We are delighted that new jobs have been created in the region as a result, demonstrating the skills and experience that exist in our region’s workforce.
“The creation of new jobs is now more important than ever so this recruitment programme by APCOA is welcome, and we look forward to working with the company in the future.”
Kim Challis, APCOA’s regional managing director UK&I, said:
“As part of our growth plans, the decision to move into the excellent facilities at Dingwall Business Park was an important one.
“We have been working closely with HIE and we are delighted with the support received from the organisation.
“This will be our first office base in Scotland and having a presence here in the Highlands strengthens our position for future strategic opportunities.”
