New milestone for Holbeach's Food Enterprise Zone
A steel signing ceremony has been held to mark a key milestone in the project to build a new £5million business hub.
The cluster hub building sits at the heart of the South Lincolnshire Food Enterprise Zone (FEZ) project in Holbeach - and will eventually offer new and small agri-tech businesses a place from which to launch.
Work on the hub began in the spring and should be finished early next year - with 100 tonnes of steel used to erect the framework of the building this summer.
Lead constructor R G Carter met up with Lincolnshire County Council’s Director of Place Andy Gutherson this month to celebrate reaching a key point of the facility’s construction.
Neal Wheatley, director and general manager of R G Carter Lincoln, said: “R G Carter is delighted to be working with Lincolnshire County Council to deliver this exciting and prestigious project for the county.
“We’re very pleased to be a step closer to finishing this purpose-built hub which will allow businesses to collaborate, be at the heart of innovation and offer first-class facilities for the agri-tech industry.”
The pioneering FEZ development is being delivered by a combination of the Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership, Lincolnshire County Council, South Holland District Council and the University of Lincoln.
Its vision is to create bespoke, high quality employment space for new businesses and SMEs specifically in the agri-tech sector, and it is already said to be attracting interest and investment on a global scale.
The ambition is to cement South Lincolnshire’s position as a major centre for agri-tech and aid innovation in areas such as robotics, automation and green measures.
The hub itself will give small and medium sized enterprises support services, networking, meeting and events space and catering facilities - and aims to foster a space where ideas can be shared and developed.
The building is being paid for through the Government’s ‘Getting Building Fund’ (GBF).
The hub joins the already-built University of Lincoln Centre of Excellence in the development, off the A151 to the west of Holbeach.
A further 28-acres of land has been snapped up by the county and district councils to add a second phase to the FEZ.
l Anyone interested in acquiring land or business premises at the South Lincolnshire FEZ should contact Pygott & Crone on 0330 128 0939, or email commercial@pygott-crone.com