 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
 "With the launch of the Barnsley Development Agency (BDA) partnership in 1998, economic development and regeneration activity in Barnsley took a giant leap forward. The partners are Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council, the Voluntary Sector Forum, the Barnsley Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Business Link South Yorkshire and Barnsley College. The partnership recognises the fact that for many years individuals and organisations across the UK involved in economic development have agreed that to achieve a really coherent partnership-based strategy, a higher level of integration is required.BDA represents the fulfillment of this widely recognised objective, with all the keyplayers in economic development / regeneration in Barnsley signed up to a shared strategy across a wide range of interconnected projects and initiatives. The core practitioners in the implementation of economic development, Business Link South Yorkshire, The Council's Inward Investment and Development Team and the Community Economic Regeneration team (CERT) are co-located at the Beevor Court premises. Over the first three years of operational activity the BDA partnership has created an integrated powerhouse for driving forward the economic and physical regeneration of the Barnsley economy, infrastructure and environment, and the securing of rewarding jobs and opportunities for the maximum possible number of our citizens. During the last three years not only has the BDA broadened the scope and quality of its regeneration work in Barnsley, and in working with our sub regional partners and Yorkshire Forward, but this website has been built into one of the most comprehensive guides to local sites, premises and business support assistance of any area in the UK. I hope you find it helpful, and that through this website we can assist you to locate to, or expand your business in Barnsley, South Yorkshire. This is an exciting time to be involved in economic development and regeneration in Barnsley. It is certainly an exciting challenge to be the Chief Executive of the BDA. I and my staff and colleagues look forward to continued close and fruitful work to achieve our joint aims with all our local and regional partners in the months and years ahead.” John Penney |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
18th October 2001
BARNSLEY HAS THE COMPETITIVE EDGE YOUR BUSINESS IS LOOKING FOR
Located at the heart of England, with Objective One Status and many other competitive advantages, not to mention a great quality of life – Barnsley is a compelling location for companies considering a move.
Barnsley Development Agency (BDA) is the Barnsley borough’s powerhouse for leading inward investment and jobs and wealth creation, and one of its key tasks in encouraging and supporting regeneration and inward investment into the borough is challenging and changing long-standing and often inaccurate perceptions about the area.
Jeff Pickering, Economic Development Manager for BDA, explains: “We’ve got so much to shout about in Barnsley, and the BDA is responsible for getting the message across. What companies tell us when they come here for the first time is that they’re genuinely surprised and impressed with what’s on offer."
The BDA is a partnership made up of the Inward Investment & Development Team, Business Link South Yorkshire, Barnsley Chamber of Commerce & Industry and the Community Economic Regeneration Team, and since its formation three years ago has created over 400 jobs in the town centre alone. During the period April 2000 – March 2001, seven companies were relocated to the borough, with a total investment of over £5M, providing more than 600 additional jobs across some 31,000sq m of floor space.
Barnsley really Values Business, as its advertising campaign will confirm, and the BDA will do everything it can to make relocating to the Borough as attractive and trouble-free as possible. Barnsley has a great deal to offer including the full range of property and land available to investors, from fully-serviced plots, business and specialist supplier parks, to traditional town centre office buildings and development sites.
One of Barnsley’s main strategic sites is at Park Springs, Grimethorpe, where 171 acres of serviced development land is due for completion by the end of the year, which is already creating a great deal of interest from potential inward investor companies. Zenith Park which opened earlier this year, also offers fully-serviced facilities, for general manufacturing and engineering companies looking to re-locate.
Quite literally at the centre of the UK's motorway network, Barnsley is flanked by the MI, the M62 and the M18, and lies within 50 miles of the major manufacturing centres of Yorkshire, Manchester, and the Midlands. The Borough also has easy access to some five international airports with London just two hours away by rail, and is on the doorstep of two main international ports offering still further major gateway opportunities to international markets.
If location alone weren't a compelling enough reason to relocate to Barnsley, the Objective One programme certainly adds enormously to the Borough's appeal. South Yorkshire's European funding is designed to create new jobs, start new businesses, boost the area’s economy, train young people in the skills needed by new industries, and develop and renew deprived economies.
Barnsley has an enviable source of adaptable labour. With transferable skills covering manufacturing and service sector, the Borough taps into a population of 1 million people within a 30-minute drivetime.
The Barnsley Borough is gaining an enviable reputation for the strength of its emerging sectors, including digital, telecoms, advanced engineering, metals, and chemicals.
Barnsley offers a variety of cultural, leisure and entertainment activities. The town centre is home to the nationally recognised Metrodome along with theatres, galleries and wealth of new café-bars.
Graham Leslie, Managing Director of Galpharm International, said:
“The financial incentive Barnsley has to offer was second to none. Barnsley Development Agency’s Investment & Development Team ensured red tape was dealt with swiftly, enabling us to get down to the business of moving, and Barnsley Met Training helped us with the recruitment of the right staff.”
Barnsley can offer:
• Development Area status
• Enterprise Zone status (certain sites)
• Competitive land prices
• Bespoke recruitment and training packages
• Assistance with site selection
• Unrivalled aftercare support
To find out what your business is missing, contact Barnsley Development Agency on (01226) 784444, or visit their website at www.barnsleydevelopmentagency.co.uk
Back to main Press Releases page
If you require any further information please email us.
Barnsley Development Agency
Beevor Court, Pontefract Road, Barnsley S71 1HG
Telephone: +44 (0)1226 784444
© 2001