03/12/2009

Construction of the Corby Enterprise Centre to begin

Construction work on the £8.3m Corby Enterprise Centre is to begin on 14th December following the appointment of Rushden-based contractors Kier Marriott.

This is another significant milestone in the town's continued regeneration and will be a major boost to new enterprise and business start-ups in the area.

The flagship centre is to be built adjacent to the £30m Corby Business Academy at Priors Hall, the major urban extension to the north east of Corby that is set to deliver more high quality homes and job opportunities for the area.

The development will provide 32,000 sq ft of lettable office, workshop and studio space and will have a major impact on the balance of the local economy, creating a significant number of highly skilled jobs in Corby.

Bela Partnership, a joint venture between Bee Bee Developments and the Lagan Group has been appointed developer for the Enterprise Centre. The building has been designed by the Milton Keynes-based DLA Architects.

The Corby Enterprise Centre will provide opportunities for entrepreneurs, start-ups and small businesses to work within high quality, flexible office and workshop space including access to state of the art telecommunications and meeting facilities.

East Midlands Development Agency (emda) is the project's major funder, contributing nearly £6.5 million to the scheme, which includes £1m from Northamptonshire Enterprise Limited (NEL). The balance of the cash comes from Corby Borough Council (c. £700k) and over £1.1m from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). ERDF aims to stimulate enterprise and support the growth of successful businesses.

emda, NEL, Corby Borough Council and a number of other organisations are working in partnership with North Northants Development Company (NNDC) to deliver this scheme.

Diana Gilhespy, Executive Director of Regeneration, said:

"The start of work on site is a significant milestone in this important project. Corby Enterprise Centre will provide much needed high quality accommodation for the town's small businesses. It will also drive enterprise development and boost employment growth, bringing benefits to Corby's growing population and the regional economy."

Simon Evans, Chief Executive of NNDC, said:

"The Corby Enterprise Centre will provide local business people with a wonderful opportunity to access modern facilities that will help them enhance and develop their skills and companies. The delivery of this project has relied on a huge effort from all of the partners and I congratulate and thank them for their work to date and I, like the rest of the community, look forward to the completion and opening of the Centre."

Leader of Corby Borough Council, Cllr Pat Fawcett said:

"This is fantastic news for the future of our Borough following our recent inward investment successes. We want Corby to be a place where start-ups and small businesses can flourish and become the next Apple or Virgin and with the Corby Enterprise Centre entrepreneurs can dream big in Corby.

"I want to thank our partners for all of their hard work and I look forward to the opening of our latest first class facility."

David Wright, Chief Executive of Northamptonshire Enterprise Ltd said: "This is wonderful news for Corby and will undoubtedly build on the town's recent successes.

"The Enterprise Centre will play a vital role in revitalising the local economy and we are delighted to have been able to support such an exciting development in the county. This Centre will help to address the need for high quality business accommodation for new and existing business and provide access to employment opportunities in the area."

The Corby Enterprise Centre is scheduled to open to the public in Autumn 2010.

Source: East Midlands Development Agency

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