Second phase of development to begin and a hugely successful first 18 months for RaisE

Second phase of development to begin for RaisE

LESS than 18 months since its launch, Goole’s £8.1 million RaisE Business Centre is now more than 60 per cent occupied by tenants from a broad cross-section of industries, and construction work on a second phase of development is due to start early next year.

This follows the announcement that the University of Birmingham, supported by Siemens Mobility, has been awarded £15 million by the UK Research Partnership Investment Fund (UKRPIF) to establish a new world-leading railway research and innovation centre next to RaisE Business Centre (Rail Accelerator for Innovation Solutions and Enterprise). Both developments form part of the new Siemens Mobility Rail Village that’s being established at Goole, which is set to create in excess of 1,000 jobs. 

Located within the Goole 36 Enterprise Zone off Tom Pudding Way, RaisE Business Centre opened in April 2022, offering dedicated office, workshop, meeting and conference space set across three floors and extending to 3,200 square meters. It also houses an onsite café, which is operated by Feast 78 and serves business based at RaisE, as well as the wider community.

The second floor of the building is occupied by Siemens Mobility, which was the catalyst for the development of Goole Rail Village when it announced that its new £200 million rail factory would be located in the East Yorkshire town. The manufacturing site is situated directly opposite RaisE Business Centre and will create up to 700 new jobs when it starts building trains for the UK market next year.

RaisE Business Centre was developed by East Riding of Yorkshire Council using grant funding of £1.5 million from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and £1 million from the Getting Building Fund, facilitated by the Hull and East Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership (HEY LEP).

Since its launch, RaisE has attracted small to medium enterprises (SMEs) from a variety of different sectors. The following tenants now have a presence within the centre:

• Pace Technology UK, leading suppliers of vehicle tracking, GPS tracking, telematics, vehicle security, in-vehicle cameras and reversing systems. 
• First Avenue Training, specialists in delivering childcare and teaching assistant qualifications through work-based learning.
• CWE, an independent supply, maintenance and logistics partner to the rail industry.
• Argyll Drummond Financial Services, an independent mortgage and insurance brokerage.
• CNC Recycling, a nationwide UPVC window recycling specialist.
• Bel Esprit Social Care, a family-run business providing residential support to working age adults with mental health needs and/or learning disabilities. 
• DFDS Logistics Limited, a transport and logistics company.
• Sure Healthcare, a provider within the healthcare and social care setting.
• K&K (UK), a distributor of fasteners, industrial fixings and parts to a number of industries, including the rail industry.
• Business Daily Group Limited, a multi-disciplinary marketing, communications, publications and advisory business. 
• Fox Red Wealth Management Ltd, a wealth management company.
• 21 Transport Ltd, a transport services business.
• HandB Commercial Projects Ltd, a principal contractor operating across the UK. 

Councillor Anne Handley, leader of East Riding of Yorkshire Council, has welcomed the announcement of further investment in Goole Rail Village and hailed the success of RaisE during its first year of operation: “It’s wonderful to see so many businesses making use of the impressive facilities on offer within RaisE, which has quickly established itself as a real hub of commercial activity.

“With a second phase of development expected to get underway at the Rail Village later this year, I’m delighted that Goole is one of just two sites in the country to have been chosen to be the home of world-leading railway research and innovation facilities. This exciting and significant project will create many jobs in the research and development sector, including administrative and office roles, as well as technical jobs. It will also give the next generation the opportunity of a brighter future in innovation and technology in rail."

In further good news for the town, leading Finnish tissue paper manufacturer Metsä Tissue recently announced plans to invest hundreds of millions of pounds in Goole over the next decade in a move that’s expected to create thousands of jobs. Part of the Metsä Group, Metsä Tissue has chosen Goole as the site for its new state-of-the-art tissue paper mill, which will be the largest in the UK, significantly reducing the quantity of tissue products that are imported into the country each year. More than 400 new jobs will be directly created by the proposed facility, as well as thousands more across the supply chain and the local economy.