Worcestershire showcased the very best it has to offer in development land and investment opportunities when it showcased at MIPIM UK last month (21-23 October 2015).
MIPIM UK, the UK’s largest exhibition and conference for property professionals, was held for the second time at Olympia, London.
Worcestershire’s stand, which was at the show as World Class Worcestershire, attracted a good flow of interested parties. In addition to showcasing some of the major household and international brands that have decided to make Worcestershire their home, Halfords, Worcester Bosch and Vax to name but a few, Morgan Motor Cars provided a three wheel car that proved a great talking point and attracted a crowd.
Two ministers, Rt. Hon Greg Clark, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government and Brendon Lewis MP, Minister of State for Housing and Planning at the Department for Communities and Local Government, visited the stand and were both very impressed with the offering and the work that has been carried out within the county so far. Rio Ferdinand, former Manchester United and England player, also stopped by to understand what was on offer and to admire the Morgan car.
World Class Worcestershire held a showcase event as part of the MIPIM UK programme on the first day which outlined the range of investment and development opportunities available. Top of the agenda was the new Worcester Six development, where an announcement was made by Stoford Developments that a £15m contract to build the first onsite premises had been agreed. The commercial units have been designed for a variety of employment uses to include technology, manufacturing and industrial and when Worcester Six is complete, it is expected to pull in over 5,000 jobs for Worcestershire.
As well as the Worcestershire LEP, representatives from across the County included: Worcestershire County Council, Stoford Developments Ltd., Worcestershire Place Partnership as well as all six of the district councils: Wychavon District Council, Malvern Hills District Council, Worcester City Council and North Worcestershire Economic Development and Regeneration. All organisations will now work to follow up leads to bring further investment and development to Worcestershire.
Gary Woodman, Executive Director of Worcestershire Local Enterprise Partnership said: “We continue to work to profile Worcestershire and our development and investment opportunities regionally, nationally and internationally and MIPIM UK was a key event to do just this.
“Worcestershire’s location, skill base and development opportunities as well as an excellent quality of life makes for a great proposition – a great business location where you can still get fresh air. Some excellent leads were received that will be followed up by all partner organisations.”
Adrian Hardman, Leader of Worcestershire County Council said: “MIPIM UK is a great leverage in promoting development sites to the great and good of the property world. World Class Worcestershire was able to do this well because we have a number of prime sites that sit in a central location, close to all major motorways and airports. Infrastructure wise we have been able to inject a good deal of capital into these sites to ensure they are accessible for all. Residents of Worcestershire will also benefit from the influx of money into the local economy and the skills that these potential businesses will eventually bring to Worcestershire.”
Delegates that visited the stand had the chance to win a Morgan Motor car for the day, with an overnight stay at the stunning Stanbrook Abbey Hotel in Malvern which recently received Highly Commended at the Best Business Tourism Award in the Visit Worcestershire Awards for Excellence. The winner is being contacted directly.