Best Practice: Accrington Enterprise Haven
Accrington’s Market Hall is a listed building that used to suffer from underinvestment, leading to a backlog of repairs and wasted floor space. The benefits of it being publicly owned were in doubt. But in 2009, owners Hyndburn Council won funding to redevelop the marketplace. The cash came from the Local Enterprise Growth Initiative via the No Limits Partnership regeneration scheme, which is run by councils in the Pennines.
The £550,000 funding was matched by private finance. It aimed to convert the wasted space in the Market Hall into offices for new businesses, called an Enterprise Haven.
Project
Accrington Market Hall
Client
Hyndburn Borough Council
Partners
Pennine Lancashire No limits Partnership, Hyndburn Enterprise Trust, Quarterbridge Project Management, SR Davis
When it happened
March – December 2009
Cost
£1m
Brief
Convert unused rooms into offices for the Hyndburn Enterprise Trust and a “Hotdesk” office for start-up businesses, allowing entrepreneurs to work in their spare time.
Aims
The scheme had to:
- create a location for allowing small businesses to grow
- deliver office and retail space at low rents
- ensure value for tax payers’ money and minimise environmental impact
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How it was done
Using financial grants allowed council to secure match-funding against money from the Local Enterprise Growth Initiative. This Communities and Local Government initiative was started in 2005 to encourage productivity in deprived local areas
Research into existing Enterprise Havens in Blackpool and Blackburn showed that entrepreneurs needed just 70 sq ft of office space to grow, as opposed to the 150 sq ft used elsewhere, in which space was wasted
Heat pumps were used to replace boilers and air conditioners for heating and cooling, leading to a 50% energy saving
Weekly rental contracts were introduced to allow small businesses to be financially flexible, renting on an ad hoc basis. It was also able to use its town centre location to attract local workers, as they were able to use the office space for their own projects in their spare time such as lunch breaks.
Key benefits
4,000 sq ft of business accommodation created from unused space
40 jobs will be created in the first 12 months through 25 businesses
It was the centrepiece for the council’s town centre regeneration strategy
What they say
Cllr. Marlene Haworth – portfolio holder for Hyndburn Council:
“It will be a wonderful asset to the town to help both new start-ups and existing small businesses. I am very proud to have played a small part in getting this project off the ground.”
Jonathan Owen – director of Quarterbridge:
“This type of partnership is a first and demonstrates how underused space in historic buildings can be put to good use. Securing LEGI funding was the key to launching this project and securing the necessary match-funding. There are many underused Market Halls across the UK and I hope other Councils adopt a similarly imaginative approach and rise to the challenge in the same way”.
Aileen Evans – director of Hyndburn Enterprise Trust:
“It looks better than I’d ever imagined. The vitality of the Market Hall and it’s town centre location will be excellent for small businesses. Start-ups can learn a lot from Market Traders and I’m sure that on-site access to Trust support will help businesses to grow”.
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