Breaking new ground: Your natural digital home

Located on Northern Ireland’s stunning Causeway Coast, Atlantic Link Enterprise Campus is a unique opportunity specifically created to provide the optimal strategic conditions for international digital businesses to operate and thrive.

The idea was conceived to help meet the needs of the global digital economy by providing investors with the technological and physical infrastructure to take their vision to the next level.

The campus is the home of Project Kelvin/GTT Fibre Optic Link, which is delivering the fastest connectivity between Europe and North America. We have an impressive digital skills base here, plus a leading STEM university right on our doorstep.

For tech companies with global ambitions, it all makes for one extraordinary ground floor opportunity. And now’s the time to join us.

Phase 1 of Atlantic Link is situated on a 20-acre site on the beautiful Causeway Coast, adjacent to Ulster University Coleraine Campus. This is the first enterprise zone in Northern Ireland for several decades and offers government incentives including the Enterprise Zone Enhanced Capital Allowances.

Atlantic Link is situated just outside the historic market town of Coleraine and a few miles from the coastal towns of Portrush and Portstewart. The area is recognised for its world class events, including the North West 200 motorcycle race, the Airwaves International Airshow, its hosting of two Irish Open golf tournaments, and the upcoming Open in 2019.

As a location, Coleraine offers you:

• An educated and committed workforce;
• a focus on innovation through Ulster University;
• a pragmatic, results-based business culture;
• outstanding infrastructure and connectivity;
• competitive costs and excellent support packages; and
• unrivalled quality of life.

With nine blue flag beaches, four areas of outstanding natural beauty, and the UNESCO World Heritage site of the Giant’s Causeway, the area has an unrivalled quality of life. Few places offer a better location to start a business, and enjoy unparalleled space to work and live.

The Ulster University Coleraine offering includes:

• 5,000 graduates;
• 1,000 new students annually;
• pioneering research in science, health, education and media;
• in the top 3 per cent of Universities Worldwide; and
• the number one UK University for Pharmacy (Guardian League Table).

Project Kelvin

Project Kelvin is an extensive submarine and terrestrial fibre optic cable system, which came on-stream in 2010. It is brought ashore one kilometre from Atlantic Link. This unrivalled communications capability, combined with the exceptional talent flow from Ulster University, provides an outstanding opportunity for international companies to establish direct low-cost servicing of UK, European, North American and Asian markets. It was a game-changer, delivering ultra-low latency and the single fastest data transfer route between continental Europe and continental North America.

5Nines

Our anchor tenant, 5Nines Global Data Centre, have invested £20 million on the site and opened their doors for business in May 2018. Siting on Atlantic Link means a compelling offer as the closest connection point between UK, Europe and Northern America, with access to the All-Ireland Network and the high speed transatlantic fibre. Recognising Atlantic Link’s strategic importance, 5Nines have the ability to offer clients a secure home for their critical data. Benefitting from the enhanced national and global connectivity, this data centre will be more cost-efficient and effective than any other UK facility.

Occupying five acres of the site, an additional 15 acres remains for development/first mover ground floor tenants.

Enhanced Capital Allowances

100 per cent Capital Allowances may be available until at least 2024 for qualifying plant and equipment expenditure. First year allowances of 100 per cent capital allowances (up to £100 million) are available for capital intensive companies (investing in eligible qualifying plant and equipment). In addition, Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) and Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS) may also be available. Parties are advised to seek HMRC and independent professional advice on the application of Enterprise Zone Enhanced Capital Allowances.

Development brief: summer 2018

The lead partner in this project, Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council, will release a development brief for interested parties in summer 2018. Council expects much interest in the site. Council wishes to kick-start the goal of diversifying the local economy, which is currently heavily-dependent on agriculture and tourism. Atlantic Link Campus, with an existing anchor tenant of a data centre, is an opportunity to attract new business sectors in a wider Digital Causeway/Creative Causeway offering. The sectors which will benefit most from the Atlantic Link Enterprise Campus and will deliver most benefit to the area’s proposition under planning use Class B1 include:

• IT;
• Financial services – FinTech;
• Health and life sciences;
• Creative media; and
• Cyber security.

Atlantic Link Enterprise Campus offers a distinct competitive advantage in terms of infrastructure, connectivity, lifestyle and labour force.

For further details visit:

www.atlanticlinkcampus.com
niall.mcgurk@causewaycoastandglens.gov.uk