RaisE Business Centre in Goole celebrates steel signing launch event

East Riding of Yorkshire Council celebrated a key milestone in the construction of the multi-million pound RaisE Business Centre in Goole with a ‘steel signing’ launch event.

In accordance with the current COVID protocols, up to 30 people from the council, Siemens Mobility, University of Birmingham and Willmott Dixon attended the site for an opportunity to see first-hand the progress of the RaisE Business Centre and observe the final plans.

Several speeches were also made by key stakeholders reflecting on the project before the eagerly anticipated steel signing occurred with the leader of the council, Councillor Jonathan Owen, chief executive Caroline Lacey and Siemens Mobility’s Sambit Banerjee the first to add their signatures to the steel.

RaisE Business Centre will provide 3,200 square metres of commercial floor space made up of grade-A office and workshop accommodation to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and is well underway on the Goole 36 Enterprise Zone with completion scheduled for early 2022.

The striking three-storey building, with a prominent frontage to Tom Pudding Way, will include spacious, modern conference rooms, smaller ground floor meeting rooms, communal break-out areas, free on-site car parking for occupants and visitors and a welcoming communal café hub that will act as a focal point for the business park.

Each office and workshop, set over the ground and first floor, will range from between 236 square feet to 840 square feet in size. Costs will start at around £25 per square foot, which will include power, heat and light with additional charges in relation to business rates, insurance, telecoms and internet.

The full second floor, which will be around 900 square metres, will be the office base for Siemens Mobility, who will look to accommodate around 100 employees on site at RaisE, in addition to the 700 new jobs to be created on the main Goole manufacturing site by Siemens.

It is also estimated that the business centre, via its occupiers, will create around 98 new job opportunities once its doors open, whilst 45 construction jobs are currently being generated as a result of the build.

This £8.1million project has secured £1.5m from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and £1m from the Getting Building Fund, via the Hull and East Riding Local Enterprise Partnership (HEY LEP), to help finance the project.

Phase two will follow on the same site and will be a £50m centre of excellence for rail and research and innovation developed between Siemens Mobility and the University of Birmingham.

Both phases, in conjunction with the £200m Siemens Mobility manufacturing facility which is currently under construction, will be an exciting partnership between industry, academia and the public sector and will help create a ‘Rail Village’ concept that will attract further added value activity from the wider supply chain.

Councillor Jonathan Owen, leader of East Riding of Yorkshire Council, said: “This is fantastic news for Goole and the East Riding. It was a pleasure to join our partners on a glorious day in Goole to celebrate the launch of the RaisE business centre and hear even more about the overall project.

“It is fantastic to see so many different sectors and teams working as one to bring this rail village development to life and I’m really looking forward to seeing the business centre in use once completed. Just a few weeks ago we also had the Goole Town Deal news which will see an extra £25 million invested into Goole, so it really does go to show that Goole is a town on the up.”

Sambit Banerjee, managing director, Rolling Stock and Customer Services, for Siemens Mobility, told attendees at the event: “We are delighted to join our partners and colleagues from East Riding of Yorkshire Council and the University of Birmingham to celebrate the construction and progress of RaisE – part of the innovation hub that will form a key element of the dedicated rail village creating jobs and investment here in Goole.

“Creating jobs is one thing, sustaining them and their potential for the future is another. That’s why the support of East Riding of Yorkshire Council, creating a facility that will offer flexible office and workspace for SMEs, is critical and most valued.

“It’s a real and tangible example of how industry, academia and the public sector can work together with the supply chain to really build on plans for Goole’s development as a great place for the future.”

Professor Clive Roberts, Professor of Railway Systems and Head of the School of Engineering at the University of Birmingham, said: “We are hugely excited to be working with Siemens Mobility and East Riding of Yorkshire Council to build a partnership in Goole to deliver rail innovation activities and enterprise support through the Rail Alliance, along with undertaking the railway research and development for which the University of Birmingham is world-renowned.

“The development of RaisE in Goole will create great opportunities for regional businesses and the local population to get into the rail supply industry, working with both Siemens Mobility and the University of Birmingham to thrive in a sector that is delivering clean, sustainable transport and skilled jobs of real benefit to the regional and national economy.”

Construction of the RaisE Business Centre is being undertaken by the independent contractor Willmott Dixon, in conjunction with East Riding of Yorkshire Council’s Infrastructure & Facilities team. The contractor is committed to delivering brilliant buildings, transforming lives, strengthening communities and enhancing the environment so our world is fit for future generations.

Simon Butcher, director of operations for Willmott Dixon, said: “It’s great to be involved in projects like the RaisE business centre. A significant proportion of our projects fall within the public sector and we work closely with local authorities to create opportunities within the local community. As a construction business it isn’t just about buildings, it is about creating a legacy and that is what we hope to be part of with this project in Goole.”

Amanda Hoggart, business centre manager at East Riding of Yorkshire Council, added: “We have a good range of business accommodation across the East Riding now and this latest development at Goole will add further value to our growing portfolio by offering flexible, modern, accessible space to a number small and medium businesses.

“Each centre has its own pro-active team on site, including experienced business advisers and a professional, front-of-house team to support your business.”

For further information on RaisE, please contact Amanda at amanda.hoggart@eastriding.gov.uk