Groundwork
Cheshire

Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) and Green Business Parks

Groundwork Cheshire works with companies on business park projects that are aimed at enhancing trading environments, to ensure that business parks and industrial estate become sustainable trading environments.

Our green business parks and BIDs aim to become trading environments where crime is low, the quality of the local environment is high, with clear signing and excellent landscaping features, transport links are good and that the local business community is working towards a common aim of improvements, and is fully engaged and involved in the process of development and improvement of their trading environment.

The benefits from our projects include:

• Attraction of new inward investment, enterprise growth and job creation
• Lower levels of crime
• More competitive property values through offering a higher quality environment and improved image for business parks
• Improved transport links and levels of congestion resulting in a smaller carbon footprint for a business park and improved access links to areas of employment for job seekers
• Greatly improved communication links between public and private sector, resulting in enhanced relations with issues affecting local companies being resolved more quickly, and opportunities for improvements being realised at greater speed.

Groundwork delivers these projects through Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) and government funded green business park programmes. In recent years Groundwork has supported the development of 6 BIDs across the Northwest.

Business Improvement Districts (BIDs)

A BID is a private sector funded improvement process for a trading environment (Business Park, industrial estate, retail shopping centre) with the principle aim of improving the area in line with the resident business’s aspirations and needs.

BIDs can last for up to five years, and are based upon the development of a Proposal for a Business Improvement District. The proposal consists of a detailed business case, explaining the projects and services that will be delivered. The proposal also explains the benefits that companies will receive, along with information on the level of expenditure, proposed charging structure for companies within the BID area and an explanation of the governance arrangements for the BID.

Each proposal for a BID can only be implemented after the completion of a democratic voting process managed by the Local Authority. Each Hereditament (property for which a business rates bill is charged) within a BID area is given the opportunity to approve or reject the BID proposal through a secret ballot prior to commencement of the BID.

Where more than 50% of eligible voters approve the BID proposal, and these voters represent 50% of the rateable value of those who have voted, the BID will be approved. This requirement for 50% by number of votes, and 50% by ratable value to approve a BID ensures that the interests of small and large companies are equally protected.

After the approval of a BID proposal, each hereditament pays a mandatory additional levy in addition to their business rates. However, this additional levy is ring fenced by the local authority, and the funding passed to an accountable body (Groundwork in case of Winsford and Gadbrook Park below). The monies collected through the levy are then used to fund the implementation of the BID proposal.

Groundwork Cheshire has managed the development of four successful Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) to date. The first of these became the UK’s first industrial estate BID in 2005 at Winsford Industrial Estate in Cheshire.

The Winsford Industrial Estate BID is delivering a range of projects that are enhancing the industrial estate and attracting new inward investment. Feedback from companies has shown that more than 90% of companies believe that the industrial estate has improved as a place to trade and operate since the establishment of the BID, with 83% of companies reporting that they have directly benefited from the BID. Visit www.1-5bid.co.uk to view the BID proposal, and visit www.winsford1-5.co.uk to see the latest developments, projects and service being delivered by the BID on Winsford Industrial Estate.

In October 2009, Groundwork was also successful in working with companies to secure a yes vote for a BID on Gadbrook Park near Northwich, Cheshire. This five year improvement plan will seek to improve transport links, reduce levels of crime, enhance signage and maintenance across the business park and provide an estate management facility.  To view the BID proposal, click here.

In addition to the two BIDs in Cheshire, Groundwork Cheshire has also worked with Halton Borough Council to implement two BIDs at Astmoor Industrial Estate (www.astmoor.org.uk) and Hale Bank Industrial Estate in Halton, Merseyside, which have seen significant reductions in crime of 39% following the introduction of CCTV, Smartwater and security patrols.

Groundwork is now working with the Birchwood Forum in Warrington to support the development of a Business Improvement District for Birchwood, where more than 17,000 employees work in over 300 businesses.

For more information about BIDs please click here.

Green Business Parks

Groundwork has undertaken green business park projects for over 15 years. The Winsford Industrial Estate BID was a Green Business Park prior to becoming a BID in 2005, and the concept enables public bodies to support local business communities to tackle barriers that are restricting economic development and job creation in partnership with the local business community.

Groundwork is able to use Green Business Parks to deliver a range of improvements to trading environments, and aims to utilise its experience in developing BIDs as a long term exit strategy for business communities to achieve sustainable economic development.

To date, Groundwork Cheshire has undertaken feasibility work and/or project implementation work on the following Industrial Estates:

• Woodford Park (Winsford)
• Wincham Industrial Estate (Northwich)
• Park Gate Industrial Estate (Knutsford)
• Crewe Gates Industrial Estate (Crewe)
• Brooks Lane Industrial Estate (Middlewich)
• Burtonwood (Warrington)
•  Rossmore Industrial Estate (Ellesmere Port)
• Sealand Trading Estate (Chester)
• hester Employment Park (Chester)
• Clayhill Industrial Estate (Neston)

For further information on the range of services that Groundwork can provide in the development of BIDs and Green Business Parks contact greville.kelly@groundwork.org.uk.

Service available:

• Development of estate/business park master plans
• Business consultations and surveys
• Development of project business plans and funding strategies
• Development and long term management of Business Improvement Districts
• Business watch services
• Landscape designs
• Security and crime feasibility studies
• Business park management services