Harborough Innovation Centre welcomes first Occupiers
Harborough Innovation Centre, designed as a hub for local businesses to launch, innovate and grow, has welcomed its first office space occupiers this week. Four companies have moved into office premises at the Centre and one of the businesses is Sporting Edge which was set up by former Leicestershire and England cricketer Jeremy Snape.
The £4.2m Innovation 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.
Designed to achieve a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rating, reflecting its important sustainability credentials, the Centre provides 52 offices, eight studios and meeting rooms together with catering facilities and a business centre.
A formal ceremony was held in June to mark the handover of the building by developer William Davis Ltd to Harborough District Council and the appointment of Oxford Innovation as manager.
Companies joining the Centre will benefit from flexible letting arrangements and a range of support through Oxford Innovation including funding assistance through business angel investment networks, networking events and mentoring.
The first occupiers are:
Sporting Edge was established in 2005 and delivers performance coaching for leaders and teams in professional sport and high pace, high pressure market sectors. Their clients include Premiership footballers and the League Managers Association, The International Cricket Council and Cricket South Africa, as well as large corporates such as BT, RBS and Deloitte.
Broderick Projects, a specialist in the design, manufacture and installation of Mechanical Drive Systems for use by major mining, steel, engineering and paper production firms.
RMLC Associates offers a full range of accountancy, taxation and book-keeping services for small businesses.
Intali is a commercial property development agency. Intali represents a range of national and local house builders, commercial developers and local authorities, advising on site acquisition, development and sale, and specialises in providing economic viability assessments for both the private and public sectors.
Oxford Innovation manages a network of 20 business and innovation centres across the country, providing office and laboratory space for more than 500 businesses. They include four other centres in the East Midlands region at Wellingborough and Nottinghamshire.
Leader of the Council, Cllr Michael Rook, said: “It is wonderful to see Harborough Innovation Centre attracting new and growing local businesses. Their success is vital to the future prosperity of our local economy.”
Centre manager, Mick Judge, said: “We are delighted to welcome our first clients to Harborough Innovation Centre and we are now starting to establish a thriving community of entrepreneurs here. We have been very pleased by the response to promotion of the Centre and continue to have a strong pipeline of enquiries with another company already scheduled to move in by early September.”
Director of Sporting Edge, Jeremy Snape, read about the Innovation Centre in the Harborough Mail. He said: “It’s been really exciting to see Sporting Edge expanding and we have recently been exploring various options for local offices. We decided to move to the Innovation Centre as it offers professional and flexible premises in a good location which will support the next stage of our growth.”
Managing director of Broderick Projects, Kelvin Broderick, has been looking for serviced office premises in the Market Harborough area for a number of years and is delighted that the Innovation Centre is now open for business. He said: “The centre is of a very high standard, with friendly and professional staff, and caters for my every need, enabling me to concentrate on running my business efficiently.”
Managing director of Inali, Adam Burdett, has followed the development of the Innovation Centre since its inception. He said: “Although I was aware of the concept I was not expecting the quality of accommodation and service that have been delivered. I am delighted to have secured an office in what I am certain will be a hugely successful project for both Harborough District Council and Oxford Innovation.”
It is estimated that the Innovation Centre project will bring approximately 180 jobs to the area. The project partners are: Harborough District Council; William Davis Ltd; East Midlands Development Agency (emda); European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and Prospect Leicestershire.
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.
Companies interested in finding out more about the Innovation Centre should contact Mick Judge, Centre Manager, tel: 01858 414200 or email: m.judge@oxin.co.uk
Photo caption: From left, Sporting Edge owner Jeremy Snape, founder of RMLC Associates Chris Partridge, assistant manager of the Harborough Innovation Centre Liza Menzies, Intali managing director Adam Burdett and Harborough Innovation Centre manager Mick Judge.