Pictured above: Harborough Innovation and Business Centre is
officially handed over to local businessman James Briggs by Guy
Higgins, William Davis Ltd, in the presence of Cllr Mike Rook,
leader, HDC and Diana Gilhespy, emda
The Market Harborough Innovation and Business Centre, which will
be a hub for local businesses to launch, innovate and grow, was
officially handed over on Thursday 9th June 2011 by developer
William Davis Ltd to Harborough District Council. The £4.2m
centre, located at the gateway entrance to the new Airfield
Business Park, is the largest single development project undertaken
by Harborough District Council in recent times and is poised to
make a significant impact on commerce in the town.
The project, which is a unique partnership, will help fledgling
businesses set up and prosper and will bring approximately 180 jobs
to the area. Representatives from project partners: Harborough
District Council; William Davis Ltd; East Midlands Development
Agency (emda); European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and
Prospect Leicestershire were present at the launch, along with over
130 dignitaries and local business people.
The Centre, which has been designed to achieve a BREEAM
'Excellent' rating, reflecting its important sustainability
credentials, will provide 52 individual offices, eight studios and
meeting rooms together with catering facilities and a business
centre. Today's ceremony also marks the formal appointment of
Oxford Innovation Ltd, the specialist management company which will
run the centre and there is already a pipeline of enquiries from
prospective tenants with arrangements being made to view the
building which is planned to be available for occupation during
July.
Oxford Innovation already manages a network of 19 business and
innovation centres across the country, providing office and
laboratory space for more than 500 businesses.
Building work began in August 2010 after the project received
funding to the value of £4m through the ERDF and emda's Sub
Regional Investment Programme (SRIP). Developer William Davis
contributed complementary work space as part of the project to the
value of £1m and Harborough District Council added
£200,000 and will own the building.
Leading the official launch, Guy Higgins, managing director,
William Davis acknowledged the project was a clear demonstration of
the public and private sectors working together to deliver a much
needed resource, he said:
"The innovation and business centre represents the culmination
of great efforts by the local community to bring inward investment
to Market Harborough. The value of this facility to the town and
surrounding area will be enormous and I am sure it will be a great
success."
Local businessman and chairman of Harboro Rubber, a major
employer in the area, James Briggs was invited to cut the
ceremonial ribbon signifying the official launch of the building.
James was one of the original visionaries back in the 1990's, who
joined forces with the local authority and others to help create an
environment for start up businesses.
"Here is a centre for excellence where anyone can bring a
business idea and start a business with all the help and support
anyone could wish for," James said: "Truly this is a greenhouse for
growth and I am thrilled to be here and to have been asked to cut
the ribbon of something I and many others have dreamed of and
worked on for 15 years."
Leader of the Council, Cllr Michael Rook was also on hand to
express his delight at this fantastic achievement:
"For the team at HDC, the Harborough Innovation Centre has
always represented a focus for the delivery of one of our top
priorities - supporting local businesses - so putting in place a
mechanism that ensures the local economy is vibrant and prosperous
and which grows the wealth of our District in the years to come.
This is a marvellous event for me to be able to take part in," he
said.
Concluding the official proceedings, prior to guests being
invited to tour the new building, Diana Gilhespy, executive
director of regeneration, emda commented: "This new Centre delivers
a lot of what emda was set up to achieve; it addresses the lack of
such space in the area; supports the development of small,
innovative businesses and supports the rural economy.
"This was the last capital project to be awarded single
programme funding from emda just over a year ago - I too am
delighted to be here to celebrate its completion and the joint
working that it brought about."
Chris Allington, managing director of Oxford Innovation's
business and innovation centres division, said: "We are delighted
to have this opportunity to manage Harborough Innovation Centre and
assist local innovative companies in Leicestershire to succeed and
grow. Working with Harborough District Council and our other
partners, our aim is to ensure that this innovation centre becomes
a hub of entrepreneurial activity for the region. Since we were
selected to manage the Centre a few weeks ago, the team at Oxford
Innovation has been working hard to prepare the building for
opening and generate interest. We are in discussion with
prospective occupiers and welcome further enquiries."
The Innovation and Business Centre forms part of William Davis'
20-acre Airfield Business Park where already four of the six
speculatively built industrial units have been sold to local
businesses looking to expand, construction work on the rest of the
site is underway.
Companies interested in finding out more about the Innovation
Centre should contact Mick Judge, Centre Manager, tel: 01933 303000
or email: m.judge@oxin.co.uk