Connectivity, catchment and cost appeals to new business

Midway between Liverpool and Manchester, with excellent road and rail links and within 45 minutes of the region’s airports, St. Helens can rightly boast to be at the heart of the North West and that places it in the very centre of a multi-billion pound economy.

St. Helens has been independently highlighted (*1) as one of the most attractive potential office locations in the country. This status is thanks to its prime regional connectivity, a catchment of seven million residents, clients and customers and a highly cost-effective, business-friendly environment. St. Helens is also recognised as one of the 11 top performing districts in the UK (joint first in the North West) (*2) in terms of business start-up growth rates.

Commercial rent rates remain very competitive compared to its neighbours, enhancing St.Helens’ attractiveness to inward investors, existing businesses and developers alike.

Enhancing its appeal is the Borough’s revised City Growth Strategy – the business plan for the growth of “St.Helens plc” – that includes 90 projects with a collective value of more than £1.8bn. The revised City Growth Strategy is a reflection of the Borough’s highly successful approach to regeneration in terms of a firm focus on delivery and working in close partnership, particularly with the private sector. Since the original CGS in 2005, the number of businesses in St. Helens has increased by over 40 percent, more than 4,000 jobs have been created, the town centre has been revitalised, and more than 2,400 new homes have been built.

The 2008-2018 Strategy retains the original CGS vision for a revitalised St. Helens as a “vibrant modern place for enterprise and a regional location of choice”. It includes four main transformational themes of growing and strengthening the business base, raising aspirations, improving the physical environment and raising the Borough’s profile and image. Of the 90 identified projects in the revised CGS, 60 are brand new while 30 are continuations or extensions of original schemes. Collectively these will consolidate and build on recent successes, while also seeking to deliver new economic growth.

St. Helens also offers a good choice of quality office and business accommodation, supported by a proactive Investment and Aftercare Team, a top-rated Council by the Audit Commission and one of the best Chamber of Commerce (*3) in the country. Reinforcing the borough’s growing profile as a prime business location is the fact that St. Helens was the only district in the North West to successfully bid for Round One Local Enterprise Growth Initiative funding. The £13.4m secured is fostering enterprise by attracting new businesses, nurturing start-ups, and helping existing businesses to grow via a range of targeted initiatives over the next three years.

Sustained and coordinated private and public sector investments have led to a major boost in the borough’s appeal as an ideal business base and first class residential location. Prestigious developments are underway across the borough, providing managed, contemporary workspace for a range of high growth sector businesses. Key employment developments include Mere Grange, a prestigious 32,000m sq business park and Empress Park, providing over 5,000m sq of modern office floor space. Other exciting projects include Micklehead Business Village and the business start-up initiative, The Enterprise Greenhouse.

Key infrastructure projects completed in recent years have also added to St. Helens’ appeal. For example, the Blackbrook Bypass, the only major new road construction in the North West during 2006-2007 has speeded up access to the town from the arterial A580 East Lancashire Road. A £6.2m investment by Merseytravel has transformed the town’s Central Station into an award-winning iconic structure.

Aidan Manley, Head of Regeneration at St. Helens Council, says: “Sustained and coordinated private and public sector investments have led to a major boost in our appeal as an ideal business base and first class residential location.”

“As well as the physical changes that have made St. Helens a regional location of choice as a place in which to live, work and invest, we also provide an integrated, customer-focused Business Location Service. This offers a full range of advice and support to both inward investors and existing businesses wishing to expand. We are confident that this all adds up to one of the best packages in the North West.”

St. Helens is well known for its innovation and quality across a range of manufacturing sectors and is a popular choice for the distribution and logistics industry. Innovative and dynamic companies have selected St.Helens as their new location or expanded their existing business and are now benefiting from improved competitiveness and productivity. They all share a common view that St. Helens has provided them with a set of unique opportunities to expand their business and lay the foundations for future success. Access to a skilled workforce, knowledge base, prestigious conference and training facilities have increased the Borough’s attraction as a profitable business base.

The proximity to the resources and support of 15 local universities has also increased the appeal of St.Helens as a preferred business location.

A number of businesses have made St. Helens their regional location of choice and are reaping the rewards that the borough’s connectivity, catchment and cost have handsomely delivered. Biotechnology company, Bachem (UK) Ltd confirmed its commitment to St. Helens with a £1.1m expansion as a centre of excellence to develop manufacturing processes for innovative biochemical and pharmaceutical compound production.

MoneyExpert.com moved to St Helens in 2004 and has grown into one of the top financial comparison websites in the UK. The company sees the borough as an ideal location to operate centrally in the North West, without paying the premiums of city centre rent. On securing a £1.5m investment package, Blue Prism, an enterprise software business, relocated to St. Helens. They saw the great potential and excellent support network for ICT business in the region.

Toughcoat Limited produce bespoke coloured toughened architectural glass panels to their unique manufacturing process. The company benefited from the relocation support services available and direct access to the skills and expertise of the area.

Global glassmaker, Pilkington signalled its confidence in its hometown with an additional £40million investment, supported by a £3million grant from the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform. The project aims to create a world leading, glass coating facility to produce speciality glass for a number of “eco-friendly” applications, securing 250 jobs at the Cowley Hill site.

St. Helens has undergone an impressive transformation in recent years and has plenty to offer to businesses and prospective investors. The attraction of the borough is enhanced by an all-round leisure offer that spans glorious countryside, first class sport and amenities, stylish town and country residential developments a year-round calendar of quality events, and vibrant shopping and nightlife.

For more information, please call John Quirk, Business Location Service on 01744 742 011, visit www.investinsthelens.com or e-mail enquiries@investinsthelens.com

References
*1 (East-West Location, October, 2005)
*2 Barclays Bank 2007
*3 Winner Best Chamber of Commerce 2007