A new £4.5 million office park could create around 350 jobs in Coventry.

The Cobalt Centre, to be created at Middlemarch Business Park will feature 13 office units designed to appeal to inward investors and expanding companies.

The company behind the scheme - Stratford-based Cobalt Developments - is confident of repeating the success of a scheme in Southam which is now home to four firms.

Chris Swan, managing director of Cobalt, said the rising profile of Coventry Airport may well help attract new companies to the park.

"This is a great location very close to the airport and with superb links to the regional motorway network. Coventry has a growing reputation as a place in which to do business and the increasing profile of the airport can only help in that."

The development, to be built by Leamington firm A C Lloyd, will be in two phases.

Seven office units ranging from 2,200 sq ft to 3,100 sq ft will be completed by July with the other six - or fewer larger buildings - following at the two acre plot Siskin Parkway East.

The development is being marketed by joint agents Evans Hardy Bromwich and Shortland Horne.

David Penn of Shortland Horne added that Coven-try's location was seen as a big draw by companies looking to re-locate.

"If companies are trading successfully and looking to grow, it is imperative that they are able to remain in the city and continue to thrive."

Meanwhile CPD Logistics has welcomed Stratford District Council's decision to back plans for a £10 million warehouse development next to its headquarters in Welles-bourne, Warwickshire.

The decision will create 100 new jobs that the company had feared might be lost to the county.

The company is the UK's leading third party distributor of toys, handling products for Bandai UK, Famosa, Leapfrog Toys (UK), Nikko UK, Paul Lamond Games, Ravensburger, Vivid Imaginations, Smoby, Gibson Games and Zak Designs.

Work will start on site in February and CPD Logistics aims to occupy the buildings in September.

CPD Logistics has agreed to take two new units of 100,000 sq ft and 60,000 sq ft on the site which is being developed by Astral Developments.

Part of Amethyst Group, it employs around 250 at 11 distribution warehouses at Wellesbourne and Long Marston. Employment is boosted to around 350 from September to December.