sign in sign up
<<
Home , Letchworth, North Hertfordshire

Focus on North

Churchyard,

10 INSPIRE Focus on Business is good in North Hertfordshire

North Hertfordshire is home to the vibrant market towns of Hitchin, , Royston and , the world’s first Garden City.

The district is situated in an located in Royston, is a warehousing uses, with prices Some of the organisations offering excellent strategic location world leader in environmental considerably lower than nearby business support include: between , one of the technologies and precious and Cambridge. The Business Support fastest growing economies in the metal production. emerging Local Plan for North Hertfordshire Local Enterprise UK, and London with excellent However, the majority of Hertfordshire will also include Partnership (LEP) rail and road connections. significant additional new businesses are of a small or A business-led partnership Its five railway stations provide medium scale. This reflects a commercial and residential development. between local businesses, direct services north to high level of entrepreneurship academia, voluntary organisations , north-east to and makes the economy resilient Economic Development and local government, with a Cambridge and south to and adaptable to change. a priority remit to boost the local economy , and London. The survival rate for small and and create new jobs. The Also, the A1(M) and A10 bisect micro-businesses in North North Hertfordshire District Hertfordshire LEP is helping to the district in a north - south Hertfordshire is very good, Council (NHDC) is committed to deliver initiatives such as grants direction and the M1 is only a thanks in part to its high supporting businesses through its for growth and growth vouchers resident skills base, education economic development strategy. to provide a key source of couple of miles further west. potential funding to businesses The A505 runs east - west facilities and partnerships The strategy can be viewed here: in the area. through the district and providing business support. www.north-herts.gov.uk/home connects in the west to /business/economic-development/ For more information visit: There is a high degree of www.hertfordshirelep.com/ Royston in the east and then interdependency between the productive-north-herts onto southern Cambridge. The Growth Hub various sectors and with similar Support and advice is available Luton Airport is on its borders businesses in surrounding and Stansted and Heathrow to businesses in areas such as The Hertfordshire Growth Hub towns like Stevenage, Luton, provides free support to SMEs in are within an hour’s drive. business development, energy Cambridge, Milton Keynes, efficiency, raising skills levels, Hertfordshire. Their specialist The district hosts a number Garden City and London. developing the workforce, business advisors work closely of internationally important with a business to determine Mixture of commercial safeguarding, as well as providing where they are, where they want businesses. Wilmott Dixon, the employment opportunities. major construction company premises available to be, and what they need next, is based in Letchworth, LV There is a diverse mix of premises The Council also has an helping remove barriers to Insurance has major offices in in the towns and villages of North Economic Development Officer, growth, plan for the future and Hitchin and Samsung has a key Hertfordshire, offering a wide who can be contacted on achieving sustainable success. service presence in Letchworth range of quality accommodation economic.development For more information visit: Garden City. Johnson Matthey, for offices, industrial and @north-herts.gov.uk www.hertsgrowthhub.com

Cont p 12 INSPIRE 11 Focus on North Hertfordshire

Broadway Gardens, Letchworth

Letchworth business independent stores, national chains and top eating places, community continues all within an elegant pedestrian- to grow friendly town centre. As the first Garden City in the Businesses in the town centre, world, Letchworth’s neatly- extending out to the planned streets, attractive building and Nexus offices on cottage housing and wide green Broadway form part of the spaces offered an alternative to Letchworth Business the squalor of urban life in Improvement District (BID). early 20th century Britain. The BID was formed in 2014, The visionary behind when businesses in the town Letchworth Garden City was agreed to come together to social reformer Ebenezer help combat the recession Howard and what he created period, stem the rapid decline here became a model for town of footfall and offer something Annual events such as the Letchworth Food & Drink Festival help the town to planning across the globe. new to the residents of the increase its popularity and attractiveness. The BID is currently looking forward Its unique heritage embraces town and beyond. to a brand new event - The Vintage Festival, which takes place during the last a wealth of architectural styles weekend of July. from Arts and Crafts to Art Under the ‘Love Letchworth’ brand, the BID has delivered Deco, including an original successful annual events such cinema built in 1936, the as the Food & Drink Festival world famous Spirella Building and the Christmas Gala/Lights Hitchin lives up to its The organisation deals with the and an eclectic Arts Centre. day-to-day issues of town Switch on, in addition to reputation as a busy Today, Letchworth Garden City providing training support for market town management, which allows Hitchin is still a place of beautiful tree- local businesses, lobbying for Initiative, an award-winning town lined streets and first class improved parking and access With a population of about centre partnership, to look at more civic amenities. For shoppers, to the town, and providing 33,500, Hitchin is highly regarded strategic issues and policies such Letchworth Garden City programmes such as the as one of the busiest and most as wider transport issues, cultural promises a fine mix of BID Awards. vibrant historic market towns in the country. events and development. It is a key retail and market centre, Hitchin town centre retains a has a mix of industry, services and rich diversity of independent The Letchworth BID agricultural activity and is a much businesses as well as a good Awards took place sought after residential location. representation of national brands. throughout the month of May. Since the launch of With more than 600 businesses More than 80 shops and the Programme last year, in the town centre alone, Hitchin’s 60 cafes/restaurants are customers voting for their business community has an independently owned and Hitchin favourite business innovative and trail-blazing track increased four-fold - Market trades on four days each totalling 4,500 votes. record of working together and in week. Food and drink are an David's book shop and partnership with community important part of the Hitchin offer café won the 'Community groups and NHDC. Spirit' award. with award-winning restaurants Pictured is Chris Gerard, Hitchin BID, an organisation and traditional pubs catering for Chair of Letchworth BID supported by NHDC, has made an increasingly discerning clientele. Board and the shop Hitchin a particularly successful owner Paul Wallace and business environment, where For more information visit: his wife Liz with Patricia businesses are thriving. www.hitchinherts.com/hitchin-bid Saunders, BID Manager.

12 INSPIRE Focus on North Hertfordshire

In November, businesses will vote whether to continue with the services of the BID for another five years, re-starting in April 2019 with a new business plan. Consideration is also being given to providing businesses outside of the BID District the opportunity to become voluntary members, contributing to the overall BID levy and receiving Hitchin move reaps similar benefits. Baldock Town Centre For more information visit: www.loveletchworth.com/bid rewards for CIPS Ltd business area designated uniform and everyone is NHDC also works with the under North Hertfordshire’s called by their first name. CIPS Ltd, a Development, Project Letchworth Garden City emerging Local Plan. There is a strong emphasis and Cost Consultancy firm, has Heritage Foundation to on promoting democracy promote business support. What makes been located in Hitchin for and removing hierarchy at approximately 2 1/2 years and The Heritage Foundation is St Christopher School all levels of the School a major landlord in the town stand out as truly underpinned by the belief has experienced steady growth with a range of properties independent that all voices, from the throughout this time, working in across the office, retail and youngest member of the both the public and private, industrial sectors. They are St Christopher School in nursery to the chair of also key supporters of the Letchworth Garden City is governors, should be listened property and construction sectors. Letchworth BID. a distinctive school that has to and treated respectfully. MD Francis McPeake was previously based in Central London for more than 30 years, where For more information on favoured a modern approach St Chris prides itself on the to education for over 100 he ran a much larger practice, but decided it was the Heritage Foundation happiness of its students, time for a strategic change and set up CIPS Ltd business support offer visit: years, confident that their and on each one of them forward-thinking methods in Hitchin and hasn’t looked back since. www.letchworth.com/ reaching their own personal Francis had come to realise that the world does our-property/commercial and excellent results have goals not a standardised stood the test of time. not revolve around SW1 and London based notion of success – which businesses. Being based in London was Independent An independent day and can be a difficult value to becoming unnecessarily expensive and not businesses a key boarding school for girls and uphold in a world of league without infrastructure headaches. feature for Baldock boys aged from 3 to 18, St tables and education reforms It was certainly non-essential to the development Chris is set on a large, leafy – however it’s this belief in of CIPS and Francis wanted to be closer to his Baldock is the smallest of 25-acre campus just a short its pupils and the School’s clients; a large proportion of whom are based the four towns in North train ride from London and support of them that can across the Three Counties in Herts, Beds and Hertfordshire, located to the Cambridge. see pupils fly. Bucks but also further afield in Oxford. east of Letchworth Garden Travelling to St Christopher Francis and his team are regularly out of the City, separated by the A1(M). The School has long been office, visiting their clients and their sites and, known for its progressive Located only five minutes The local economy offers with Hitchin’s superb infrastructure and approach to education where from A1M Junction 9, the proximity to London, they have found it to be a mix of independent students are valued as School’s campus is located a convenient location for work. specialist retailers, business individuals. in Letchworth Garden City, and leisure activities. with daily bus services and Equally, if not more importantly, according to Head Richard Palmer sums Francis, Hitchin is also a cyclist’s Mecca. Baldock town centre has a fast train links to London A small market town, it is able to support three up the St Chris approach as and Cambridge. strong local identity with its “promoting independence, independent bike shops and that is due to the wide High Street and many creativity and happiness as a Open Days & Contact fabulous opportunities in the countryside attractive historic buildings means of supporting students Information that surrounds the town. within a small area, making to become self-disciplined, As a keen cyclist himself, Francis has networked it a unique gem of a historic Saturday with the local community through cycling and, successful and able to 22 September 2018 market town. make informed choices.” recently, CIPS entered a corporate team into the London Dulux Revolution, a 2 day 300km The annual town festival, To find out more call St Chris believes in the 01462 650947 or email endurance ride around London which which extends for a fortnight benefits of an informal strengthened these ties even further. in May, is one of the [email protected] approach – there is no www.stchris.co.uk CIPS is planning to create a networking group highlights of the social of local like-minded businesses and individuals calendar. who are interested in developing mutual Back in 2009, NHDC opportunities in the property and construction completed a multi-million sectors whilst out enjoying their bikes. pound refurbishment of Francis says that there is already a strong network Baldock town centre, a of property and construction consultants in Hitchin project which won and the surrounding towns who are more open- national awards. minded and engaging than some of the more established practices in London, who he says This transformed the have tended to become a bit more conservative town and brought a fresh and less outward-looking over recent years. vibrancy to the historical Being Hitchin based allows his business, he says, centre of the town. to make the most of the personalised service that they offer at CIPS and they can only see this Baldock is also set to be St Christopher School the location of a major new continuing into the future.

INSPIRE 13