Plans for £1.5m parade of business units unveiled

UNVEILED: An artist’s impression of the new parade of businesses

Plans have been unveiled to create a £1.5m parade of seven business units at the Boulevard Unit Factory Estate.

It is already the largest council factory estate in the city as the home to over 30 small businesses and will now be extended by the new parade of units, which will have fully glazed frontages onto Goulton Street and rear loading bay areas.

Located at the junction of South Boulevard and Goulton Street, the scheme is being part-funded by the new Hull and East Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership (HEY LEP), which is providing £500,000 for the project from the Government’s Getting Building Fund.

Hull City Council has awarded the construction contract to William Birch & Sons Ltd, who were procured through the YORbuild construction framework. They will undertake the detailed design work, submit a planning application for the scheme and deliver the construction services.

The city council’s Director of Regeneration, Mark Jones, said: “Hull City Council has big ambitions to help fuel the recovery of the city following the Covid pandemic and, to do this, we need to support the growth and development of our fledgling businesses.

“This city has a proud history of entrepreneurialism and these new units will help nurture the next generation of businesses that will create wealth and jobs for the people of Hull.

‘BIG AMBITIONS’: Mark Jones. Picture by Tom Arran Commercial Photography

“We are delighted to be working with William Birch & Sons Ltd and have been impressed with their vision for this development. It will create some fantastic new spaces for businesses and is a vital step forward as we grow and develop the economy.”

William Birch’s Business Development Director, Gemma Shahjahan, said: ” We are working closely with the council and our design team, Janus Architecture, to put forward a great design for the new parade.

“It is great news for local businesses, the construction industry and new fledgling start-ups to get a facility like this in Hull, and we are looking forward to getting the scheme through planning and on site soon thereafter.”

James Newman, Chair of the HEY LEP, said: “We are very pleased to see the Getting Building Fund beginning to support business-focused projects across our region and are delighted that Hull City Council has unveiled its plans for the Boulevard Unit Factory Estate.

“These units will, in time, support local businesses to grow, providing new employment opportunities, whilst helping to strengthen our economy at this pivotal time in the region’s post-pandemic recovery.”