Developed

with

business

in mind

Hereford

Enterprise

Zone

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Skylon Park is a freethinking, world classbusiness landscape.

A place where leadingbusinesses are enabledand inspired to bethe best they can beand their people canlive life to the full.

Page 3, artistic works credits:

Hereford bull sculpture in Hereford City Brian Alabaster ARBS,

photograph by The Hereford Cattle Society

Edward Elgar with Sunbeam bicycle by Jemma Pearson

and

GCHQ/Crown Copyright 2013

Our brand is inspired by the Skylon of 1951,

the centrepiece of the Festival of Britain,

which was designed and manufactured in

Herefordshire. This is the spirit of innovation,

ambition, courage and drive which we hope will

encourage and nurture like-minded businesses

on Skylon Park.

Skylon Park is located within Rotherwas the

largest and most strategically important

employment area in Herefordshire and is

already home to over 125 companies employing

in excess of 2,500 people. Building on this

success £20m has been invested in

infrastructure which makes Skylon Park

available for immediate development.

Best-in-class support package

Our dedicated team can offer you a best in classsupport package and a compelling business case as towhy you should locate your business to Skylon Park.

Talent and opportunities

Skylon Park will be focusing on local talent, graduatesand academics contributing to thework force within Herefordshire as well as attractingtalent to Skylon Park.

In the heart of the UK and Europe

Located within an hour and a half drive of threeinternational airports and a 3 hour drive to LondonHeathrow and London itself, Skylon Park is perfectlyplaced to allow your business to expand and flourish.

Great quality of life

Herefordshire has this to offer in abundance and withwork/life balance being the second most importantdriver of employee attraction and commitment itmakes Skylon Park and the surrounding area the idealplace to invest, develop, work and live.

Skylon Park, HerefordEnterprise Zone:developed withbusiness in mind

‘We are Ready’

Land in Skylon Park is available NOW, with ready tobuild services and infrastructure in place. The 72hectare site is in one contained area and with some ofthe lowest land values in the UK this representsexcellent value for money.

Sector specialisms

We have targeted sectors where businesses are alreadydoing well, giving new businesses the opportunity togrow within a network of existing and successfulbusinesses.

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Business rate reductionWorth up to £275,000 per business over a five year period.

Simplified planning processIn principle, planning is already approved for the majority of investors.

Superfast broadbandWe will be delivering Superfast Broadband to thePark in 2013.

Increase in business profileLocating your business to Skylon Park will give youan enhanced international profile and favouredtreatment from UKTI. Skylon Park is part of one ofthe government’s key economic policies, visited bythe Prime Minster, David Cameron and theCommunities Secretary, Eric Pickles and has thehighest political support.

Clustering and supply chain boostsBusinesses from the same sector are encouraged tocluster together for mutual benefit.

Why locate yourbusiness in Skylon Park?

The business park has been designed into acountryside setting and has allocated pockets of plotsas ‘clearings in the woodlands’ complementingHerefordshire’s rural heritage.

What we are trying to create:

Not just another Business ParkThe creation of high quality business space and avibrant, dynamic business community in an attractivehistoric setting.

Excellent leisure facilitiesHigh quality leisure facilities including conferencing,meeting space, café and restaurant.

Design values of the ParkA positive market perspective of Skylon Park as aplace to invest, develop and work is heavily influencedby the design and planning of the park both in theattractiveness of the buildings and the high quality,well maintained soft landscape. This achieves thesense of a unified and identifiable place.

Local benefits5 minutes to the city centre and railway station2 minutes to the A49 & trunk road networksupply chain opportunities right on your doorstep

We also offer a soft landing package which includesgrants, business support, advice and networkingopportunities.

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Building on ourheritage. Defenceand Security. Case study

IA Technology is a specialist electronics designand manufacturer for a number of industries, mostnotably Aerospace and Defence. The business wasstarted in Herefordshire in 1976 and has continued tothrive over this time. Conveniently located near to ahotspot of aerospace/defence activity from Bristolright up to Birmingham, the West Midlands area hascontributed to their numerous growth opportunities.

“Being close to our core customers and markets is good, butit’s not necessarily the only bonus. Herefordshire has anabundance of entrepreneurially minded and experienceddefence personnel who understand the value ofcommercialising their capability and experience within thecontext of the global market. IA Technology benefits fromworking directly with this localised capability, addinggenuine value to our blue-chip client base.”

Duncan Williams, Chair of IA Technology

Skylon Park will have a strong focus on the Defenceand Security sector. This will build on the deep rootedassociation Hereford has with the UK special forces asthe base of the SAS, a globally recognised name fromthe Defence sector. The existence of other key sites,DERA/QinetiQ in Malvern and GCHQ in Cheltenhamdemonstrates a local cluster of strategic sites fromwhich Skylon Park can draw. There is an inevitableemergence of businesses in the Security sector;Herefordshire has 85+ businessess in this sectoralready, a number of which have been set up by ex-military personnel which have engaged in the SpecialForces supply chain utilising their specialist skills tomaximise business opportunities.

Case study

Building the futuretogether. AdvancedEngineering.

allpay is a market leader in payment solutions in theUK. Based in Herefordshire since 1996 its corebusiness concentrates on providing bill paymentservices and offers an end-to-end manufacturing, cardand pin personalisation for a range of products, theycurrently handle £4 billion a year across 47 milliontransactions.

“As a business allpay could operate from anywhere but it’sexciting to work in a corporate environment in a beautifullocation. The balance is really good and I genuinely get upin the morning enthused and excited to get to work. Thereis a very strong impression of everyone working really hardto promote and develop Herefordshire as a place to dobusiness.”

Stephen Foulger, Head of Human Resources

Advanced Engineering has been identified as beingone of the key sectors to attract to Skylon Park.Herefordshire based companies are prominent in awide range of areas, including advanced materials,manufacturing technologies and processes. Businessesoperating within this high-growth sector would beperfectly placed at Skylon Park. Advanced Engineeringhas strong links to the Defence and Security sector.Bringing these businesses together on Skylon Park willbring many benefits to all. Niche businesses in thissector already located in the county include: SpecialMetals Wiggins, Denco, ETL Systems, HR SmithGroup.

eigh

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Taking local global.Food and Drink.

Herefordshire is surrounded by unspoilt countrysidewith a strong agricultural heart. It is known for itslocal delights with an abundance of food and drinkproducers and processors of various sizes.

In order to support these local food producers theSkylon Park Food and Drink Hub will have specialismsaround food production and processing technologies,food additives and botanics, adding value to an alreadyestablished sector within Herefordshire.

There are a number of major food and drink firmslocated in Herefordshire these include: Heineken -Bulmers, Cargill Meats, Tyrrells Crisps, Westons Ciderand a strong network of support organisations to theFood and Drink Sector.

Westons Cider is a Herefordshire based cider &perry producer, producing over 30 different ciders andperries and employing more than 200 people.

The business was started at its current location on afarm in Much Marcle in 1880 by Henry Weston.Henry started on a small scale using fruits from thefarm orchards and this tradition has continued until thepresent day. The business has grown considerably andis now selling approximately 46 million pints a yearand has a turnover of £38 million. Westons Cider isnot only available throughout the UK but is alsoexported to more than 40 countries worldwide.

“We are one of a host of forward thinking, innovative foodand drink producers in the county which benefit from arange of networking initiatives and events aimed atpromoting locally distinctive food & drink. Herefordshire isthe natural home of global cidermaking and Westons isproud to be an integral part of an industry that, in anotherwise challenging economy, is continuing to innovate,grow and export around the world. Being based in such abeautiful and picturesque county is just one of the manybenefits to running a business in Herefordshire, as cidermakers where else would we be?”

Matthew Langley, Brand Manager

Case study

Maximising resource,minimising impact.SustainableTechnologies.Herefordshire has a number of businesses workingwithin the Sustainable Technology sector. Sustainableconstruction is a particular real strength, ranging fromservices such as architects (Architype) through timberframe buildings (Taylor Lane, Border Oak) to products(Kingspan). Many of our advanced engineeringbusinesses are providing innovative, low carbonsolutions to businesses in a host of other sectors.Clustering sustainable technology businesses onSkylon Park will maximise the potential to developbeneficial connections and trade in the wider localarea.

The Enterprise Zone is actively encouraging renewableenergy propositions to deliver heat and power to newbusinesses on Skylon Park.

Arctic Circle was set up in 1985 by Eddie andDebbie Gittoes. It is one of Herefordshire’s mostsuccessful manufacturing businesses employing 85people and supporting many others within the localsupply chain. The company manufactures equipmentfor use within the heat transfer market, designing andbuilding low carbon solutions for the cold food chain.The company has established a reputation forinnovative solutions using cutting edge technologies tobecome the undisputed market leader in its field.

“Arctic Circle has had a fantastic 12 months; these areexciting times in our industry and our staff are leading thechange towards low carbon technologies. Although weinitially set up the business in Herefordshire because myhusband and I live here, we love living and working in thisbeautiful county. There are many advantages of running abusiness in Herefordshire, low business costs, centrallocation, close access to the motorway network and wagesto name a few and there is a good nucleus of engineeringcompanies based here.”

Debbie Gittoes, Director

Case study

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Creatingyour place at Skylon Park.

While we have created the Masterplan,we are inviting businesses to designtheir own premises within our space -following some core design andenvironmental standards will ensureconsistency and quality.

In keeping with Herefordshire's own character,Skylon Park will be a green space: surroundedby woodlands and fields with 7 mini zones or‘clearings in the woodland’ each based on thesame core architectural character, but eachdistinct and memorable.

To allow you to create the workspace you want, atSkylon Park you simply choose a plot and followingthe guidelines design to fit your own requirements, theflexible form allows for a range of configurations. Thatway, you gain a workplace that fits perfectly to the wayyou operate.

Now, to help you find and create your placein this vision please see the Design Guidebrochure for more guidance.

The masterplan and design guide for Skylon

Park have been developed by world class

Architects Studio Egret West.

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irteen

Newport

RailLocal Railway Station atHereford with links fromBirmingham, Cardi!, Newport and Manchester

Connect Herefordshire.

Ideally situated at theheart of the UK,south west ofBirmingham with theWelsh border to thewest andWorcestershire to theeast, Herefordshirerepresents a part ofthe United Kingdomrich in heritage,culture andenterprise.

Hereford. City life. Country style.

This exciting £80m development is fully funded bythe private sector. The city centre scheme willprovide more than 1,100 new jobs for the city and actas a catalyst for future investment in the area.Herefordshire is one of those unique places whichmanages to balance the need to protect its heritageon one hand whilst keeping an eye on the future withthe other.

“I came to Hereford in 2011 as the new Managing Directorof Cargill Meats Europe. Our factory here is the largestpoultry facility we have in Europe and we employ 1,900staff locally. From the first day, I was made to feel verywelcome and the workforce we employ in Herefordshire isoutstanding.

My family have settled well and the schools and social lifeoffer many opportunities, not to mention the most beautifulcountryside on earth!

If you are thinking of bringing your business to Europe,then Hereford and the Enterprise Zone would be a greatplace to call home”.

Brian SikesManaging Director, Cargill Meats Europe

Steeped in tradition, dripping with history andoverflowing with a wealth of chocolate-box black andwhite villages, Herefordshire’s rolling countrysidecomes alive at every turn. There is certainlysomething for everyone to enjoy whether you arevisiting or living here.

While it’s true that Herefordshire offers a quality oflife that can’t be overstated, what is often understatedis the growing strength of the county as a primebusiness location. In fact, Herefordshire is one of themost entrepreneurial counties in Britain. With a focuson development, the county is committed to boostingemployment and expanding business opportunities tomaximize economic growth.

As a prime location for business development,Herefordshire offers a stress free short commute, acountry lifestyle and a dynamic and increasinglydiverse business community.

Herefordshire Council is an ambitious authority;Skylon Park complements the city centre expansionsbeing undertaken to transform the heart of Herefordinto a 21st century city centre.

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en

Connected to the world.

Direct flightsfrom our threelocal airports

We will:

Work with you to help make your investmentsuccessfulHelp you to find the right serviced site, ready foryour developmentHelp you to link into key private and public sectorindividuals, organisations and agencies covering yourinvestment needs including professional services,recruitment, skills and trainingHelp you through the simplified planning processand any other regulatory requirementsHelp you reconfigure your supply chain.

We are ready to take your call.

Bill JacksonChair of the Herefordshire Enterprise Zone Board

Contact details for Skylon Park

Mark PearceManaging Directormark@skylonpark.co.ukT: 01432 383 521

Nick WebsterProgramme Managernick@skylonpark.co.ukT: 01432 260 601

Dorothy ColemanExecutive Officerdorothy@skylonpark.co.ukT: 01432 383 616

www.skylonpark.co.uk

Printed in Herefordshire by ABC Print ‘The most modern B3 printers in Europe’