Central Bedfordshire is ideally located in the UK, 30 minutes north of London and at the heart of the Cambridge to Oxford innovation corridor and witnessing major infrastructure investment including the East-West Rail link and Oxford to Cambridge Expressway.
Central Beds is also close to major airports, within easy reach of 35 million people and offers a growing, skilled and flexible workforce.
The area is home to a diverse urban and rural portfolio of industrial and commercial sites and developments along the M1 and A1 strategic transport routes.
Central Bedfordshire, with 274,000 people, is one of the fastest-growing areas in the country and there are tens of thousands of new homes and jobs planned.
In planning for growth, Central Bedfordshire Council will bring forward more than a million square metres of employment land and facilitate the infrastructure to support high-quality and sustainable jobs, including the newly opened A5-M1 link road in Dunstable, a multi-million pound investment in superfast broadband and major town centre regeneration programmes.
Across the area there are a range of strategic development locations and Central Bedfordshire Council, which has placed enabling businesses at the very top of its agenda, is ready to help facilitate investment.
Of the 12,645 businesses based in Central Bedfordshire, 99.6% are SMEs so the Council is well versed in providing the right support for your business.
The Council facilitated website www.becentralbedfordshire.co.uk has all the information you need to grow your business including relocation support, access to and advice on funding, recruitment and training, and innovation and growth programmes.
Perfect for business people such as Andy Collinson who used the service to relocate his business headquarters from London to Central Bedfordshire.
Former bartender Andy created Ace Bar Events Ltd in 2008 at his home in the capital, from where he would organise high end private and corporate occasions for high net worth individuals.
In 2011 Andy and his young family upped sticks, moving one hour’s drive north of London to Dunstable, in Central Beds, where he based his business.
Andy’s family found house property prices in Dunstable to be highly attractive. He also loves the quality of life of the area.
He was approached by Italian fruit puree and syrups producer ODK in 2013 to import and sell one of their products. He sold a pallet to the West End and the business has grown out of that.
In need of more space, he saw a sign for commercial property units for let in Houghton Regis and made contact with Central Bedfordshire Council.
Andy said: “Central Beds has a very caring attitude and was very helpful in making sure that the property was suitable for my business needs. I needed a mezzanine floor and the council made sure that could happen.
“I would recommend that people looking for commercial properties try their council first. Their motives are not just to fill space but to make sure businesses succeed.”
After moving into the property, in Houghton Regis, near Dunstable town centre, in Bedfordshire, Andy has formed productive business relationships with other occupiers on the Townsend Industrial Estate.
Andy currently has a team of five people and he is looking to create more jobs in Bedfordshire as his business grows.
His medium term plans include the possibility of taking more commercial space in Central Bedfordshire. He said: “I definitely want to stay in the Dunstable area and work with the council on apprenticeships, property issues and the possibility of holding World Flair Association events in the county.”
Want to know more? Contact the Be Central Bedfordshire team on +44 (0)300 300 8272, [email protected] or visit www.becentralbedfordshire.co.uk.
