£500,000 revamp starts an exciting new chapter for workshops

14th April, 2011 - Posted by admin - 1 Comment

A HARTLEPOOL business unit complex for small and medium-sized firms is shaping up for the future after a major refurbishment.

More than £500,000 has been invested over the past year in the Hartlepool Workshops by owners Bizspace, one of the UK’s leading providers of managed workspace.

The workshops, on Usworth Road Industrial Estate, comprise 32 single-storey units for lease, ranging from 300 to 7,000 sq ft and including industrial, office and studio space.

Occupiers also have the benefits of access to meeting, interview and training rooms, on-site administrative and clerical support, CCTV monitoring of the site and secure parking.

The buildings date from the 1940s and a large part of the investment has been on repairing the roof, which had been increasingly prone to leaks. Innovative Italian technology has been used to encase the roof in a new waterproofing system which is guaranteed for decades to come.

The centre’s main reception area has also been fully refurbished and several of the business units have been completely redecorated and fitted with new lighting systems.

Two thirds of the units are occupied – ranging from manufacturing firms to training organisations – and Bizspace recently welcomed its latest tenant, call centre Apple North-East, which is expanding from Tyneside.

On Wednesday 13 April at 11am, the seal will be set on the first phase of the improvements when Andrew Jordan, Bizspace’s centre manager and Councillor Pamela Hargreaves, Hartlepool Council’s Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Economic Development, will perform an official ribbon-cutting ceremony.

“We’ve just installed a state-of-the-art roofing system from Italy, believed the first of its kind in the UK, and we’ve upgraded the interior of the building and converted from industrial warehousing into 32 business units which were are confident will help to attract small businesses and jobs to the region,” comments Andrew Jordan.

Councillor Hargreaves added: “Given the pressures faced by our economy both locally and nationally, it is more important than ever to support new and small firms.

“Managed workspace like Hartlepool Workshops takes away many of the day-to-day administrative headaches, allowing firms to get on with the job of developing and selling their products and services.

“I am delighted that Bizspace is making such a substantial investment in its Hartlepool units – it’s great news for existing occupiers and prospective customers alike.”

For more information about the Hartlepool Workshops, please contact Andrew Jordan at Bizspace on 07891 007568 or email Andrew.jordan@bizspace.co.uk