£16m project set to create 1000 ‘rural’ jobs

A groundbreaking multi million pound initiative that will put Shropshire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire on the international ‘enterprise’ map is just a few days away from getting started, with the potential for creating 1000 jobs once completed and occupied. The Rural Regeneration Zone (RRZ) has joined forces with Evans Easyspace, a leading provider of small business units, to pioneer the roll-out of a strategic network of enterprise centres that will deliver a state-of-the-art collection of small, flexible offices and workshops for entrepreneurs and SMEs. Backed by £5.9m of funding

from the RRZ through Advantage West Midlands, the programme is both innovative and unique and will meet the growing need for high quality premises for the indigenous business base.

Peter Pawsey, Chairman of the RRZ, was delighted to see this initiative come to fruition: “This is fantastic news for the area, as it will allow us to build on recent achievements and the growing desire for businesses to develop and grow across the sub-region.” He continued: “In total, there will be two main hub sites at Battlefield in Shrewsbury and at Rotherwas in Hereford, with a further six spoke sites planned for Bridgnorth, Leominster, Ludlow, Market Drayton, Oswestry and Ross-on-Wye.

“This equates to over 150,000 sq ft of office and workshop space across the Zone and this should prove ‘home’ for 120 companies in all sectors of interest imaginable, from manufacturing and e-business to research and development. “Early estimates suggest that once these facilities are fully occupied this will create 1000 jobs, with more employment opportunities due to be created during the construction of the different facilities. In addition, as these new companies grow, some will move on to their own premises and others will be created in the space vacated, generating even more jobs in the process.

The £1.5m Leominster Centre is the first spoke to be built, with work due to start in the middle of August, followed closely by Shrewsbury, Hereford and Ludlow on the 3rd September, 24th September and 15th October respectively. This means that by early 2008, half of the network will be reaching completion with dates set to be announced shortly for the remaining developments.

Peter added: “Another key feature is the public/private sector partnership that is at the heart of the project and we are delighted that our local authority partners are fully behind it and that Evans Easyspace is bringing its undoubted knowledge and experience of the sector to the fore. “We are both committed to the long-term vision that will provide the highest quality enterprise space for businesses seeking to operate in the Zone and to ensure that this provision is right on their doorstep.