Managing Director, Ken Ingham says
' The Shuttleworth Mead Business Park is dedicated to the needs
of quality businesses that are willing to invest in their future.
We have designed the park in a manner that provides all stakeholders
with a high quality environment.
'As developers we have a responsibility to the
environment, not only as far as wildlife is concerned, but the
visual impact locally. All our business units follow a consistent
theme, using a tasteful combination of sandstone brick with tones
of grey metalwork in combination with low-key landscaping. The
effect is a prestigious business park in a country setting that
is both highly practical and pleasing to the eye.
Our choice of site was heavily influenced by the
location. With an almost direct link to the M65 Motorway, access
is speedy and efficient. All these factors have proven to be the
foundation for the success of the Business Park, which has been
reflected in the speed of the take-up for our design and build
properties. We anticipate the industrial units to rent, along
with the high quality office accommodation will generate as much
interest when they become available early in 2001'.
Local
Business
The high take-up of new development
land over the last couple of years is an excellent indicator of
the area's strengthening economic viability. The areas central
location within the United Kingdom and proximity to the national
motorway network has attracted a diverse range of new companies
over the past two years, to add to the already long established
household name companies in the town.
New Business Parks Network 65 and
Shuttleworth Mead located adjacent to the motorway and green belt,
have attracted an array of multi-million pound developments, located
in state-of-the-art buildings. The quality and location of these
prime development sites has successfully competed with other sites
in the North West in attracting high profile multi-media, information
technology and call centre services.
As well as new build, the area has
carefully renovated mill properties for office, industrial and
leisure use, and created modern interiors with great charm and
character. Working hard for these companies is the town's workforce.
The area's workforce is one of its best assets, renowned for their
wide ranging skills base, adaptability and reliability, and not
least their friendly personality, one of the key factors in attracting
telesales companies.
The areas significant employment
areas include Aerospace, Mechanical and Electrical Engineering,
Textile and Clothing industries - all using the latest technology.
With 37% of the local workforce currently in manufacturing, the
areas thriving service sector underpins the diversity of the economy
and employs around 63% of the workforce.
The local authority prides itself
on a positive approach to business growth, with a strong emphasis
on partnership. Approximately £25 million of grants have been
attracted to the locality from the UK's single Regeneration Budget
and Europe. This has been achieved by working in partnership with
businesses and the wider community to create regeneration programmes
that make a difference. The results are already bearing fruit,
with an unemployment rate consistently below the national average.
The Council's Economic Development
Unit offers a one-stop-shop for business advice and support for
companies. Part of this support framework is a comprehensive range
of financial assistance that offers companies the potential to
receive financial support for their investment proposals. Other
free services provide information on - Property and Land Availability
- Business Directories - Workforce Statistics/Wage Rates - Development
Opportunities in Tourism and Leisure - Local Product Sourcing
and Local Purchasing Initiative.
Major Inward Investors in the locality
include Cornwell Parker plc, Endsleigh, Connections+ Limited and
Viktor Achter Limited.
International Companies in the area
include Armabord Ltd, Burco Dean, Hurel Dubois, Mal Tool &Engineering,
Michelin, Pipeline Induction Heat Ltd, Smurfit (now called Papermark
Ltd), Tenneco Walker, Veka plc an d Viktor Achter Limited.
Enviable land prices, a diverse range
of business accommodation, skilled workforce and excellent motorway
access offer a unique combination of excellent business development
opportunities.
Locality
The Shuttleworth Mead Business Park
is ideally situated on the outskirts of Padiham. Padiham existed
well before the Norman Conquest and has been a market town for
centuries, where produce from surrounding areas was bought and
sold. Its small traditional market is now on Wednesday and Friday
in the town centre. Most buildings in Padiham date from the Industrial
Revolution, but an exception is Gawthorpe Hall, originally built
in 1600, and set on the banks of the River Calder. Home of the
Shuttleworth family for 400 years, it was here that Sir James
Shuttleworth lived, best remembered for his work in promoting
free education in the nineteenth century. The last occupant was
the Hon Rachel Kay-Shuttleworth who assembled an internationally
renowned collection of textiles, selections of which are always
on display. The house passed to the National Trust in 1970.
Homes
and Schools
A visit to the area may prompt you
to set up home here, and with the variety of homes to choose from
you wouldn't be stuck for choice. Executive homes, traditional
cottages, converted barns, modern bungalows, and large garden-fronted
Victorian Terraced houses are all available. Several new housing
developments have sprung up locally in recent years, in edge of
town locations. Homes that have been planned and built with the
family in mind, close to parks and schools, provide a good standard
of living for everyone. Prices are still below the national average
offering excellent value for money. Schools in the area cover
the complete spectrum from comprehensive to private. There is
an excellent selection of Colleges in the locality and four of
England's best Universities are less than an hour away.
