Business Guide

Welcome to... ALLERDALE A GREAT PLACE TO LIVE, WORK, VISIT, INVEST AND DO BUSINESS WELCOME TO ALLERDALE CONTENTS A GREAT PLACE TO LIVE, WORK, VISIT, INVEST & DO BUSINESS. We know this area is pretty special – there’s a world-class knowledge base, a workforce with unique skills and expertise, and a massive array of internationally-renowned companies who have already chosen to base WELCOME themselves here. WHY ALLERDALE? This Council is committed to supporting a strong, sustainable and vibrant economy. That’s why, if you need us to, we will help you find the perfect HOW WE CAN HELP YOUR premises for your company, work with you to make your business grow, and assist with things like planning advice, licensing and regulations. BUSINESS Outside work, the story is just as good. Allerdale has great house prices, excellent schools and new healthcare facilities – not forgetting our inspirational PLANNING landscape which makes the perfect playground for all ages. BUILDING CONTROL It’s no wonder Allerdale was voted the happiest place to live in the UK in a national survey which measured quality of life, as well as the practicalities like property prices. LICENSING If your business is already based in Allerdale and you’re planning to expand, BUSINESS RATES or you have plans to move to this fantastic part of the UK, come and talk to us. We’re here to help. ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES HEALTH & HYGIENE PARKING & HIGHWAYS Councillor Alan Smith COMMUNITY CHAMPIONS Leader of Allerdale Borough Council CONTACT US

Councillor Mark Fryer Executive Member for Economic Growth

2 3 WHY ALLERDALE?

It’s no wonder Allerdale was voted the happiest place to live OUR LOCATION... in the UK in a national survey which measured quality of life, • Less than three hours from • Solway Coast Area of as well as practicalities like property prices. Newcastle, Manchester, Outstanding Natural Beauty Leeds, Liverpool, Glasgow & • Easy access to the West Coast OUR INSPIRATION... OUR TOWNS... Edinburgh Main Line trains to London & • Thriving towns & villages • Aspatria, an artists’ inspiration • Two hours’ drive to six Scotland • Mountains, lakes & coastline • Cockermouth, an historic gem international airports • The stunning Cumbria • Urban & rural business hubs Coast Line runs straight • Keswick, Cumbria’s • Fast road links to the M6 through our borough • Flourishing agriculture & adventure capital professional service sectors • Port of Workington, our • Straddling the border of • Maryport, our harbour town • Industries at the forefront of strategic logistics gateway the Lake District 21st century technology • Silloth, our seaside resort • Cutting-edge engineering, • Wigton, a rural hub THE STATS... manufacturing, energy & • Workington, our urban nuclear science & retail centre. • Award-winning retail, hospitality & tourism businesses more • A location ripe for development. 4,500+ than 58% VAT-registered & PAYE businesses of the population have qualifications trading successfully in Allerdale, along equivalent to NVQ Level 3 or above, with countless sole traders. OUR COUNCIL PLAN PRIORITIES... beating the national average. • Strengthening our economy • Boosting tourism • Creating a sustainable • Improving health more than of people have qualifications Allerdale has the business and wellbeing equivalent to NVQ Level 4 or above (that’s a HND, • Enhancing our towns • Tackling inequality 3rd fastest degree or higher degree), • Driving economic growth a total also higher than rate of job growth 33% the regional average. in the North West as per the 2015 Regional Economic Tracker report.

4 5 HOW WE CAN HELP YOUR BUSINESS

We give loads of help and practical services to businesses, Members of the Council’s Economic Growth Team are available whether it’s something as simple as taking away their to provide support and advice to Allerdale businesses on a range of subjects. If you have any questions or queries relating to the waste, or helping them find perfect new premises. We information contained within this pack, or can’t find what you’re also have contacts in every major education and business looking for on our website, then please get in touch with: organisation in Cumbria, as well as further afield. [email protected] Our website www.allerdale.gov.uk contains a huge amount of 01900 702790 information about Council services and the local area. You can also make payments to the Council online, view planning applications, The Council employs two Town Centre Area Managers who work check your bin collection dates and much more. For up-to-the-minute closely with local Chambers of Trade and business groups across news, follow us on Twitter @allerdale or Facebook. Allerdale. Groups currently in operation include: • Cumbria Chamber of Commerce and Industry HOW THE ECONOMIC GROWTH TEAM CAN HELP: www.cumbriachamber.co.uk • Cockermouth & District Chamber of Trade www.cockermouthbusiness.org Economic change and business support • Keswick Tourism Association www.keswick.org Advice on grants, loans and funding • Love Maryport www.lovemaryport.org.uk for businesses how • Silloth Chamber of Trade Finding the right premises • Wigton Chamber of Trade

wehelp can Advice on taking on an apprentice Please get in touch with the Town Centre Area Managers if you would like contact details for any of the local business groups listed above. Supporting festivals and events 01900 702568 (Cockermouth, Keswick, Silloth, Wigton)

Information on Council services 01900 702766 (Aspatria, Maryport, Workington)

How to get involved with Cumbria Business Growth Hub is the first stop for businesses who community projects you want to improve their competitiveness and grow. To find out about the support services they offer go to www.cumbriagrowthhub.co.uk

6 7 PLANNING

We want to make the planning process as easy as possible for you, IF YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT: whether you want to build from scratch, adapt an existing building for your business or improve your company’s signage. Allerdale Borough Council is the Planning Authority for those parts of Allerdale not • Submitting planning applications within the Lake District National Park boundary. For planning queries, • Planning fees and timescales applications and further information on all aspects of the planning process, please contact: • Pre-application advice Development Services • Developments you don’t need planning consent for Allerdale Borough Council • Applying to change the use of a building Allerdale House Workington, CA14 3YJ • Conservation Areas • Listed buildings wwww.allerdale.gov.uk/planning • Historic buildings [email protected] 01900 702802 • Getting permission for signage • Shopfront Design Guides For planning queries and applications for areas within the • Tree Preservation Orders Lake District National Park please contact: • Street cafes and A-boards Development Management Lake District National Park Authority • Allerdale’s Local Plan Murley Moss Oxenholme Road Kendal, LA9 7RL For planning queries in relation to historic buildings, please get in touch with the Council’s Conservation Officer. www.lakedistrict.gov.uk/planning [email protected] [email protected] 01900 702713 01539 724555

8 9 BUILDING CONTROL LICENSING

The building control application process is separate A HELPING HAND... from the planning process. You may need building control consent for certain works even if planning Licensing can be a complicated process whether it’s for the day-to-day running of your business, or for festivals and events consent is not required. If you are unsure as to whether you want to get involved in. Our licensing team is here to tell you building control consent is required for any building whether you need a licence or not, and to guide you through the works then please contact: complicated paperwork.

wwww.allerdale.gov.uk/buildingcontrol To find out more about: [email protected] • When business activities need a licence Tel: 01900 702520 • Licence costs

WE CAN HELP YOU WITH: • Alcohol-related licences • How to submit an application IN 2015 • Licensable regulated entertainment (e.g. amplified music) WE DEALT WITH • Fees and timescales • Street cafes

• Legal requirements and best • Special events. practice for disabled access 902 • Energy efficiency Please contact our licensing team on: • Noise protection planning www.allerdale.gov.uk/licensing 0303 123 1702 • Fire safety applicationscases of • Means of escape requirements 741 [email protected] building regulations

10 11 BUSINESS RATES

The amount of business rates that you pay is determined by the Discretionary rate relief may also be available if you fit into rateable value of your property. The rateable value of your property is one of these categories: determined by the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) which has a regional • Charities who are in receipt of mandatory relief base in Carlisle. You can appeal against the valuation of your property at any time by getting in touch with the VOA directly at: • Non-profit making bodies whose objectives are charitable, philanthropic, religious, or concerned with education, VOA social welfare, science, literature or the fine arts Stocklund House • Non-profit making sports or recreation clubs Castle Street Carlisle For more details: Cumbria CA3 8SY [email protected]

[email protected] 01900 702990 03000 501501 www.allerdale.gov.uk/businessrates WHAT DO MY BUSINESS RATES PAY FOR? The full criteria and eligibility rules for small business rate relief can be found at the web address above. This is the way that those who occupy non-domestic property contribute towards the cost of local services. The money, together Further information about the business rates system, with council tax and money from the government, is used to pay including rate relief, can be found at for not only public services that Allerdale provide but also Cumbria www.gov.uk/introduction-to-business-rates/overview County Council, the Highways Agency, the Police and other services. AM I ELIGIBLE FOR SMALL BUSINESS RATE RELIEF? If the property is your only business DIRECT DEBIT Do you qualify? address in England, you may be eligible Direct Debit is the most convenient way to pay us every month. You for up to 100% business rate relief, rate relief can sign up with a paperless secure form on our website or call us. depending on the building’s rateable www.allerdale.gov.uk value. Check with us to see if you are able to save. 100% 0303 123 1702

12 13 ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES

We have dedicated Street Scene Officers who look after Visit www.allerdale.gov.uk and type in your postcode to find the our towns and villages – and all of the areas in between. best person to advise you, or contact our Streetscene officers direct via the details below: They can help you with: • Cockermouth and Keswick – 01900 702814 • Dealing with antisocial behaviour like fly-tipping, graffiti, • Aspatria, Wigton and Silloth – 01900 702796 abandoned vehicles and litter • Maryport – 01900 702963 • Your legal requirements for commercial waste disposal

• Sourcing additional bins • Workington – 01900 720811 or 01900 702964

• Information on road sweeping, weeding and grass cutting Or email [email protected]

• Street cleaning for special events

We offer a commercial waste collection service for businesses of all Save money with... shapes and sizes. For more details visit: Allerdale Borough Council

www.allerdale.gov.uk/waste Need to dispose of or call 01900 702820 your business waste? [email protected] • Environmentally friendly • Competitive prices • Any size of business • Flexible service • Free advice You can also report problems via our Spot the Grot system from a mobile phone, Contact the Trade Waste team for a quote: 01900 702820 which uses GPS technology to pinpoint the [email protected] location www.allerdale.gov.uk/spotthegrot START NOW START

14 15 HEALTH & HYGIENE PARKING & HIGHWAYS

The Food and Occupational Health team is happy to We own and manage many car parks across the borough. If you need give advice about: more information you can speak to our team on: • Registration of food businesses 01900 702850 • Meeting food and health and safety legislation www.allerdale.gov.uk/parking • Smoke free requirements [email protected] • Food Hygiene Rating Scheme • Licensing of boarding kennels and catteries, pet breeders and pet Information is available on our website about: shops • Parking permits for workers • Camping and caravan sites • Parking permits for those on a low wage • Skin piercing businesses. • Residential parking permits The Environmental Protection team is ready to help with: • Disc-zones – where you can get the parking discs from, • Noise control and what the rules are • Complaints about odours • Pollution of land, air or water Cumbria County Council looks after on-street car parking and • What you can and can’t put down the drain is also responsible for maintaining the roads and pavements in Allerdale. To report a pot-hole, broken street-light or damaged • Advice and monitoring of private water supplies. pavement call: Contact us for more information: The Highways Hotline on 0845 609 6609 www.allerdale.gov.uk/environmentalhealth www.cumbria.gov.uk/roads-transport [email protected] On-street parking enforcement. You can pay or challenge 01900 702570 an on-street parking ticket on-line at parkingcumbria.org.uk

For details of how to apply for a brown tourism sign for your business visit the ‘roads and transport’ section of the Cumbria County Councils website for application details www.cumbria.gov.uk

16 17 COMMUNITY CHAMPIONS CONTACT US

HOW BUSINESSES CAN GET INVOLVED IN LOCAL EVENTS & INITIATIVES We’d love to hear from you if you want your business to get involved We’ve made it in the Allerdale community. Here are some ideas: easier for you to sponsor contact us ‘Cumbria in Bloom’ flowerbeds volunteer OR Encourage your staff to volunteer with local organisations, or steward With one new telephone Sponsor major events like at the area’s big events – there are number for all services Christmas light switch-ons or great networking opportunities sport, food and music festivals 030 3 123 1702 And the introduction of Get involved with TAKE Take part in town centre call-back and web-chat services events with special Allerdale’s annual late night and Sunday & Mayor’s charity part opening dates fundraising appeal

How can organise we help maybe even Organise your own event for you? the community – grants may be available from the Council’s festivals and events fund

Allerdale Borough Council, JOIN IN Allerdale House, Workington, Join the town centre cleans – GET IN TOUCH Cumbria, CA14 3YJ they’re annual events in each of Get in touch with the Town @allerdale the seven towns, as well as in Centre Area Managers for www.allerdale.gov.uk Seaton, our largest village more information Calls cost no more than to 01 and 02 numbers and are included in inclusive minutes and discount schemes

18 19