Tamworth Enterprise Centre is open for business
The brand new Tamworth Enterprise Centre has been declared officially open for business. Housed in the former Philip Dix Centre in Corporation Street, the state-of-the-art business hub provides modern serviced offices to rent, well-appointed meeting rooms for hire, an executive business lounge, virtual offices, conference facilities, superfast broadband, Wi-Fi, interactive TVs and much more.
It officially opened with an almost full complement of businesses, with 15 of the 16 available offices already home to a range of small local firms.
Business organisations, civic dignitaries and the centre’s new tenants joined together for an official open evening on July 26.
The creation of Tamworth Enterprise Centre is the first phase of the £6.1million scheme to develop an Enterprise Quarter in the Corporation Street area, which will include the refurbishment and extension of Tamworth Assembly Rooms, the redevelopment of the Carnegie Centre as a restaurant, improvements to the library and surrounding area and the creation of a new public open space.
The Enterprise Quarter is a joint project between Tamworth Borough Council and Staffordshire County Council, and Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire Local Enterprise Partnership is funding nearly half of the cost of the scheme, contributing £2.95million from the Local Growth Fund.
Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire LEP Chairman David Frost CBE said: “We are delighted that this impressive new Enterprise Centre is off to a flying start and has attracted such strong interest from businesses – even before its official opening this week. This is great evidence of the ‘can-do’ entrepreneurial drive of local business people and our public sector partners who are working to transform Tamworth.
“The LEP is proud to be contributing a total of £2.95million to the creation of Tamworth’s Enterprise Quarter, nearly half the cost of this ambitious scheme. The Enterprise Quarter will revitalise the town centre and help make Tamworth a vibrant and go-ahead place to live, work and do business.”
Tamworth Borough Council’s Cabinet member for Regeneration, Cllr Steve Claymore, said: “This is the first phase of the Enterprise Quarter scheme, which is about looking after our buildings and bringing them into the 21st century while ensuring they work for us, rather than us working for them.
“Hopefully this will be a truly valuable asset in supporting the creation and growth of small businesses and entrepreneurship in Tamworth, as well as creating jobs and employment in the town, which is extremely important for the local economy.
“We have started with an almost full complement of businesses, which is amazing. I am really proud of what we have achieved here and it is a fantastic start to the Enterprise Quarter. We are also delighted to welcome the Lichfield and Tamworth Chamber of Commerce to the centre which will be a great source of support to local businesses.”
Staffordshire County Council’s Cabinet member for Economic Growth, Cllr Mark Winnington, said: “We are finding that if money is spent in town centres you do attract businesses and this starts to benefit everyone in the area. Once the Enterprise Quarter is completed it should be the fantastic gateway to the town centre that Tamworth deserves.”
The official opening was performed by Mayor of Tamworth, Cllr John Chesworth, who cut the ribbon and unveiled the new Tamworth Enterprise Centre plaque. He said: “This is a great facility for small businesses in the area and I hope it provides them with a strong foundation from which to grow into even bigger enterprises in the future. The fact the centre is almost full shows that Tamworth can produce some great local businesses with opportunities for employment and growth.”
Businesses can use the centre for a variety of purposes, whether they are looking for a professional setting in which to meet a client, need room for a large training session or conference, or require an official registered address. Serviced offices come with ‘easy in, easy out’ terms and no long leases.
For more information about the facilities on offer, businesses can visit the website www.tamworthenterprisecentre.co.uk, or email tec@tamworth.gov.uk to enquire about hiring a meeting room. Prices range from £10 to £20 per hour depending on the size of the room.
David Frost is pictured, right, with, from left, Cllr Steve Claymore, Cllr John Chesworth and Cllr Mark Winnington.
