£8.1m business centre takes shape
East Riding of Yorkshire Council has celebrated progress in the construction of the multi-million pound RaisE Business Centre in Goole.
Once complete, the centre will provide more than 34,000 sq ft of commercial floor space made up of grade-A office and workshop accommodation to small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
Work is well underway on the building at Goole 36 Enterprise Zone, with completion now scheduled for early 2022.
The three-storey building will include modern conference rooms, smaller ground floor meeting rooms, communal break-out areas, free car parking for occupants and visitors and a café hub.
Each office and workshop, set over the ground and first floor, will range from between 236 sq ft to 840 sq ft in size.
The full second floor, which will be around 9,700 sq ft, will be the office base for Siemens Mobility, which will look to accommodate around 100 employees on site at RaisE, in addition to the 700 new jobs to be created on the main Goole manufacturing site by Siemens.
It is also estimated that the business centre, via its occupiers, will create around 98 new job opportunities once its doors open, whilst 45 construction jobs are currently being generated as a result of the build.
This £8.1m project has secured £1.5m from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and £1m from the Getting Building Fund, via the Hull and East Riding Local Enterprise Partnership (HEY LEP).
Phase two will follow on the same site and will comprise a £50m centre of excellence for rail and research and innovation developed between Siemens Mobility and the University of Birmingham.
Both phases, in conjunction with the £200m Siemens Mobility manufacturing facility which is currently under construction, will be a partnership between industry, academia and the public sector.
Councillor Jonathan Owen, leader of East Riding of Yorkshire Council, said: “It was a pleasure to join our partners on a glorious day in Goole to celebrate the launch of the RaisE business centre and hear even more about the overall project.
“It is fantastic to see so many different sectors and teams working as one to bring this rail village development to life and I’m really looking forward to seeing the business centre in use once completed.”
Sambit Banerjee, managing director, rolling stock and customer services, for Siemens Mobility, said: “Creating jobs is one thing, sustaining them and their potential for the future is another.
“That’s why the support of East Riding of Yorkshire Council, creating a facility that will offer flexible office and workspace for SMEs, is critical and most valued.
“It’s a real and tangible example of how industry, academia and the public sector can work together with the supply chain to really build on plans for Goole’s development as a great place for the future.”
Professor Clive Roberts, Professor of railway systems and head of the School of Engineering at the University of Birmingham, said: “The development of RaisE in Goole will create great opportunities for regional businesses and the local population to get into the rail supply industry, working with both Siemens Mobility and the University of Birmingham to thrive in a sector that is delivering clean, sustainable transport and skilled jobs of real benefit to the regional and national economy.”
Construction of the RaisE Business Centre is being undertaken by independent contractor Willmott Dixon, in conjunction with East Riding of Yorkshire Council’s Infrastructure & Facilities team.
Simon Butcher, director of operations for Willmott Dixon, said: “It’s great to be involved in projects like the RaisE business centre.
“As a construction business it isn’t just about buildings, it is about creating a legacy and that is what we hope to be part of with this project in Goole.”
