BUSINESS units in Bulwell which were built on brownfield land and have helped create 80 jobs were officially opened by Graham Allen MP (9.5.08)

The 33 units in Sandstone Court and Pottery Court, Bulwell were part funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), Greater Nottingham Partnership (GNP) and emda.  Nottingham Regeneration Limited and Nottingham City Council have worked in partnership to deliver the scheme.

The two new courtyards of office/light industrial units in Bulwell were designed to meet the needs of growing businesses in the area.

Built on reclaimed brownfield land, the two new business courts offer units ranging in size from 25 sq m to around 300 sq m and provide employment for around 80 people.

Despite only being complete in early 2008, Sandstone Court is already fully let and 20 out of 21 units are let at Pottery Court. GNP supported the schemes with around £3.8m of Single Programme and ERDF.

ERDF is helping the East Midlands to overcome social and economic obstacles to create a vibrant, prosperous and competitive region.

The launch of the units involved the unveiling of a plaque by Mr Allen who said: “I campaigned hard to get these units in my constituency which has high rates of unemployment. I have also worked with the local community to ensure that the environment is improved by trying to build Nottingham’s first new wood nearby so there is no loss for the community. Hopefully this is a win-win situation for everyone and great news for Bulwell.”

Businesses include LAC Conveyor Systems, Steve Clifford Plumber and brewers In Bev UK.

Martin Gawith, chief executive of GNP, said: “In providing the funding for these units we were pleased to show GNP’s commitment to supporting the development of small businesses and creating new opportunities for employment in some of Nottingham’s most deprived communities.”

City council officers and dignitaries gathered at the event which was held to mark the success of the units.

Coun Alan Clark, Nottingham City Council’s portfolio holder for neighbourhood regeneration and board director of Nottingham Regeneration Limited, said: “I am absolutely delighted to support this scheme and was pleased to help celebrate the launch of this successful project.”

The scheme architects were Maber which led the design team which included BWB civil engineers and Arup mechanical engineers.  The project managers were EC Harris.  Contractors were Baggaley and Jenkins.