Lisburn Castlereagh City- The_Right_Combination
Lisburn Castlereagh is an ambitious and entrepreneurial city, with a proven track record of attracting, encouraging and developing successful enterprises, from fledgling start-ups to global inward investment companies. Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council is a forward thinking and progressive council which intends to use its powers to make a real difference in the local area, to make it stronger, more effective and even more attractive to inward investment.
The Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council area is also the top area in Northern Ireland to live, work and invest. When a high profile business delegation from Atlanta visited Northern Ireland recently it was no surprise then that they choose to visit Lisburn Castlereagh to learn about Northern Ireland’s best connected, best located business-friendly city.
The Council is on a ‘business mission’ to ensure its pivotal location on the main M1 motorway and Belfast to Dublin Economic Corridor is promoted to secure inward investment. The City’s connectivity makes it easier to move products, source supplies, access a workforce and reach customers.
The right combination
As part of an ongoing investment programme, the Council will exhibit at MIPIM UK 2016, the UK’s largest exhibition and conference for property professions, from 19-21 October in London’s Olympia. The theme of ‘The Right Combination’ will see the Council compete against other UK Cities, showcasing Lisburn Castlereagh City as a prime investment location to a wide audience of developers, investors and other related agencies. The Council will also host a high profile networking event in Westminster, in partnership with Lagan Valley MP Sir Jeffery Donaldson, to raise the area’s profile and connect local companies with their key GB contacts.
Key sectors
Key sectors targeted by the Council to locate to the area include ICT, renewables, advanced engineering, business and professional services, life sciences and food & drink manufacturing. Each of these sectors already have companies based within the area that avail of fast transport links, highly professional staff, lower property and wage costs, less congestion and excellent broadband.
A wide variety of multinational companies such as drinks manufacturer Coca-Cola HBC, advanced engineering companies ASSA ABLOY, Bombardier and Montupet are located within the Council area and deliver high specification products and competitive prices to their extensive network of customers across the world.
ASSA ABLOY, the global leader in door opening solutions believes that since the move to the Powershield site in Lisburn Castlereagh, business has flourished. The company is ranked in the top 80 most innovative companies by Forbes and includes world leading brands Chubb and Yale.
The City is also home to a cluster of exciting, successful high technology companies producing a range of products and services from cloud computing solutions to advanced diagnostic electronic devices, and includes Cirdan Imaging, Leckey, Arcatech, Xperience Group and Seven Technologies Group. This is driven by access to high speed broadband and to a skilled workforce.
The right property
Within the Council area there are a range of properties to suit every business, with business parks including serviced greenfield sites and high quality ‘grow on’ space with office/warehouse/workshop flexibility. New office properties are available in the City Centre for technology and professional service companies; and further business parks and office developments are due to come forward in the next few years as the Council progresses the next stages of its City Centre Masterplan.
Soft landing
Businesses wishing to relocate to the Council area or expand their current operations can access the Council’s unique ‘Soft Landing Programme’ providing a pro-business welcoming package of incentives and information making the transition as smooth as possible. The Council has high calibre support from banks, law firms, estate agents, recruitment agencies, accountants, IT specialists and the local further education college.
Unlocking investment potential
In addition to the City’s proud industrial heritage it is committed to progressing new regeneration projects; a major regeneration programme is underway in Lisburn City Centre restoring and preserving the historic quarter, unlocking the potential of the City’s riverfront area and regenerating the network of villages around the City. The Council recently produced the Hillsborough Tourism Master plan, which will support the development of Hillsborough as a key visitor destination through the delivery of a number of tourism focused development initiatives.
Ongoing meaningful engagement between the Council and its many partners and stakeholders will continue to ensure that economic and environmental regeneration opportunities are fully utilised for the benefit of all.
Support for the investment agenda
The Council’s Business Solutions Team is focused on driving forward the economic growth of the area by encouraging business growth, job creation and enhanced business performance.
It offers a wide range of business support programmes and tailored events to SMEs located in the Council area to provide hands-on, practical and relevant support. From Business Start-ups to Graduates and businesses with ambitions growth plans the Business Solutions Team can support every stage.
In addition, the Council has assisted many local businesses to develop new international trade links, a recent programme to the Netherlands was its 12th consecutive visit.
The Council now funds the Regional Start Initiative locally, better known as the ‘Go for It’ Programme. This national business start-up programme for Northern Ireland helps would-be entrepreneurs develop a bespoke business plan to help progress their business idea.
The right combination and you
If you are thinking of setting up or relocating your business, looking to expand, need direction or simply want to learn more about Lisburn Castlereagh as a prime investment location, please find out more at:
http://www.lisburncastlereagh.gov.uk/business_solutions
http://www.investlisburncastlereagh.com/
Civic Headquarters
Lagan Valley Island
Lisburn, BT27 4RL
Tel: 028 9250 9250
