Quality of life supporting business investment
Selby district is the fastest-growing area in North Yorkshire, which the district council says is no surprise given the levels of business and housing investment on the cards.
Right at the heart of Yorkshire, homebuyers get more for their money compared to neighbouring areas such as York and Leeds. They also benefit from a great quality of life, with the market towns of Selby and Tadcaster, as well as a range of picturesque villages in one of the safest areas of the UK.
And this matters for business, because it means that companies in the area can attract the best quality staff to complement an existing workforce with high skills.
Take Wrapped Agency as an example; situated within the Escrick Park estate – with easy access to customers in York, Leeds and Hull – this creative agency makes the most of the rural location.
“It’s in a beautiful setting near York”, explained one of the company founders, Kate Eady. “There’s loads of free parking for us and our customers and the quirky layout gives us room to expand. And I can bring my two dogs to work too.”
It’s not just small companies that benefit from staff with a great quality of life. British Gypsum, part of the international Saint Gobain group, has a base at Sherburn in Elmet. General Manager of the site, Darren Hodsman, explained, “The Selby area’s got a great pool of talent. Around 70% of employees live within ten miles of the plant so there’s a big link between the quality of the workforce and the quality of our business”.
Likewise for the Skills Network – one of the fastest-growing technology companies in the area, which provides online training courses around the globe. Director, James Earl, says they never under-estimate the benefits of working in Selby, “There’s a motivated workforce, superb strategic communications and an historic town centre on our doorstep. We never forget where we are – and where most of our staff come from.”
The area isn’t resting on its laurels, however. With new town centre investment in Selby from Dransfield Properties, and the District Council having set up an innovative partnership with Historic England to help protect and enhance the historic town centres.
The Council’s Director of Place and Regeneration, Dave Caulfield, added: “Supporting quality of life in our area is such an important part of us supporting business investment – because we want the best people to be here for our businesses to thrive. The Selby district offers the whole package – some great new investment opportunities in an area that has a great quality of life”.
