What’s on offer for business looking to relocate to Sunderland
This article was written by Rainton Bridge, who provide offices in Sunderland for businesses of all sizes.
But in reality, Sunderland has a number of significant advantages for business seeking to move there and there are grants available from central government to encourage the creation of jobs in the area.
The workforce has a reputation for loyalty and adaptability. The total work pool available within 15 miles of the city is 1.5 million. Two thirds of these are aged between 18-64. Sunderland city has a working population of 185,000 and is the largest city between Edinburgh and Leeds. The University of Sunderland hosts 14,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students with an active Industry Care centre that helps businesses access their research capabilities.
Sunderland, as with the rest of the North East, has a rich heritage in engineering. Steel, coal, ship building, engineering and chemical industries formed the backbone of the region during the early industrial revolution. It has only been in the past 30 years that the area has experienced periods of decline. To replace these heavy industries, the a number of bodies have sought to encourage new technology businesses, services organisations and automotive companies to the area. The workforce is skilled and wages and living costs are relatively low compared to many other areas of the UK.
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There are government grants available to businesses seeking to relocate to Sunderland. Up to 50% of eligible costs can be claimed by businesses moving into larger industrial premises. If you are already in the area and are expanding then this grant may also be available.
Costs that can be claimed include those associated with stripping down and transporting machinery to new premises – although only external contractors costs can be submitted. Provided you are looking to relocate to Sunderland and have a viable business then the final award will be dependent upon the number of jobs created.
Whilst this support is targeted for manufacturing businesses, the local Business Investment Team are keen to discuss what other assistance may be provided to service organisations looking to relocate their business to the area.
Sunderland also has an excellent road and rail infrastructure. There are direct links to the A1M and A19 which provide access to London within 5 hours and Glasgow within 3 hours. The East Cost mainline railway service reduces the journey time to London to just two and a half hours and Edinburgh in can be reached in around one and a half hours. There are two airports within easy reach (Durham-Tees Valley and Newcastle) that make connecting to London and indeed the rest of Europe a relaxed and hassle free option. Sea options also exist for containers and there are roll on roll off ferries, together with port facilities available on the three rivers of Tyne, Tees and Wear.
There is a large range of high quality, low cost premises in the area. In addition, staff will benefit from a good stock of equally good quality, low cost housing, with easy access to the stunning countryside and coastline.
You may have not intended to do so, but I think you have managed to express the state of mind that a lot of people are in. The sense of wanting to help, but not knowing how or where, is something a lot of us are going through.