Next phase of development to begin on business centre
Goole’s £8.1m RaisE Business Centre is now more than 60% occupied by tenants from a cross-section of industries less than 18 months after it was launched.
Construction work on a second phase of the development is due to start early next year.
It follows confirmation that the University of Birmingham, supported by Siemens Mobility, has been awarded £15m by the UK Research Partnership Investment Fund (UKRPIF) to establish a railway research and innovation centre next to RaisE Business Centre (Rail Accelerator for Innovation Solutions and Enterprise).
Both developments form part of the new Siemens Mobility Rail Village being established at Goole, which is set to create at least 1,000 jobs.
Located within the Goole 36 Enterprise Zone off Tom Pudding Way, RaisE Business Centre opened in April 2022, offering dedicated office, workshop, meeting and conference space set across three floors. It also houses a café, which is operated by Feast 78.
The second floor of the building is occupied by Siemens Mobility, which was the catalyst for the development of Goole Rail Village when it revealed that its new £200m rail factory would be located in the East Yorkshire town.
The manufacturing site is directly opposite RaisE Business Centre and will create up to 700 more jobs when it starts building trains for the UK market next year.
RaisE Business Centre was developed by East Riding of Yorkshire Council using grant funding of £1.5m from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and £1m from the Getting Building Fund, facilitated by the Hull and East Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership (HEY LEP).
Councillor Anne Handley, leader of East Riding of Yorkshire Council, said: “It’s wonderful to see so many businesses making use of the impressive facilities on offer within RaisE, which has quickly established itself as a real hub of commercial activity.
“With a second phase of development expected to get underway at the Rail Village later this year, I’m pleased that Goole is one of just two sites in the country to have been chosen to be the home of world-leading railway research and innovation facilities.
“This exciting and significant project will create many jobs in the research and development sector, including administrative and office roles, as well as technical jobs.
“It will also give the next generation the opportunity of a brighter future in innovation and technology in rail.”
