Stevenage 75th anniversary magazine | biz4Biz - Magazine - Page 27
Roll forward to the present day
and Gunnels Wood Road, the main
commercial gateway, is now home to
world-leading businesses including
MBDA, Airbus, GSK and the Cell and
Gene Therapy Catapult. Hertfordshire
County Council is relocating the
majority of its staff and services from
the historic County Hall in Hertford
to purpose-built offices in Farnham
House. This municipal shift will have a
gravitational pull, attracting a diverse
range of workers to this important
thoroughfare.
Over the past decade and guided by its
Strategic Economic Plan, Hertfordshire
LEP has invested in projects across the
county that will have the maximum
uplift on our local economy and its
people, places and businesses. In
Stevenage, the total LEP investment
to date is over £56.2m to support
major town centre regeneration;
improve key infrastructure, maintain
global excellence across our key
sectors and create jobs and education
opportunities.
The results of these investments are
evident today, such as:
•
•
STEM Discovery Centre: Opened
by astronaut Tim Peake in 2017,
this unique education facility was
•
developed in partnership with North
Hertfordshire College, Airbus and
Hertfordshire LEP. With a viewing
platform onto the state-of-the-art
Mars Yard where the ExoMars Rover
was tested, the centre offers a range of
hands-on activities linked to key stage
2 and 3.
Stevenage Innovation and Technology
Centre (SITEC): Now operational
for nearly a year, SITEC is a joint
partnership with North Hertfordshire
College, Stevenage Borough Council,
and Hertfordshire LEP to deliver
an exciting range of new T-Level
and Apprenticeship qualifications
in Science, Engineering, Digital and
Sustainable Technologies. Using the
latest in virtual training to provide
an immersive learning experience,
SITEC works with industry partners
FourPlus, LifeArc, UCL Vax Hub,
Autolus and the Cell and Gene
Therapy Catapult to provide training
tailored to local job opportunities in
and around Stevenage.
Co-Space and Stevenage Town Centre:
In 2021 three floors of previously
unused space in the town square
were converted into a high-spec,
vibrant and modern co-working space
for local entrepreneurs and SMEs.
Research conducted that year from
business bank Tide named Stevenage
and Watford as two of the best
places to launch a business outside
of London, thanks in part to their
excellent connectivity to the capital
and beyond, with Co-Space further
enhancing Stevenage’s attractiveness.
This redevelopment is part of an
ongoing mixed-use regeneration of
Stevenage town centre (SG1) partfunded by £34m Local Growth Fund
investment, which is expected to
deliver more than 1,800 new homes,
3,500 sq. m. of retail and commercial
floor space, a new public garden
square and park and a new primary
school.
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