Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman has cited a North Yorkshire business park as an example of how high-speed broadband can transform local enterprises.

As part of the government's Rural Roadshow initiative, Ms Spelman visited Oakwood Business Park in Bishop Thornton to attend the official launch of Go ON North Yorkshire, a campaign designed to promote the benefits of faster broadband services.

During the trip, the MP called at some of the business hub's tenants to see how the Smart Parks initiative - which saw high-speed broadband rolled out in the area - has benefited them.

Established in partnership by NYnet and York & North Yorkshire Ltd, the Smart Parks scheme is designed to illustrate the economic advantages that next-generation broadband offers to enterprises located in business parks, which are traditionally found in urban centres.

However, many of North Yorkshire's commercial parks are situated in rural areas, meaning the process of accessing business-grade broadband is often costly or impossible.

So far, five of these parks across North Yorkshire have been hooked up to faster broadband thanks to the project.

Four local firms - Sofas & Stuff, Take That, Amco Developments and Carefound - reiterated to the minister that a fast and reliable broadband connection is essential to their day-to-day operations.

"Getting super-fast broadband to rural areas in North Yorkshire will make a vast difference to local people and businesses, and how they communicate with the online world," Ms Spelman said.

"The business centre in Bishop Thornton is a perfect example of how access to broadband can transform Yorkshire businesses."

Owner of Oakwood Park Business Centre Alan Cryer expressed his belief that the hub has everything required by "today's technology-savvy business".

He added that floor space at the site is being expanded to accommodate small and medium-sized enterprises, with the work set to be finished by spring.

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