Location:
Barnsley is positioned right at the very heart of Yorkshire – in the centre of the UK. The major cities of Sheffield and Leeds are within 10 and 15 miles, with London only 2 hours away by train via connections from nearby Wakefield or Doncaster. A rapidly growing economy set in the heart of the UK’s motorway network, Barnsley’s quality of life benefits from being surrounded by 127 square miles of countryside.

Aerial photo of M1, J36 in Barnsley

Transportation Services:
With an excellent communications network, Barnsley has easy access to the UK’s main motorway network including the M1, M62, M18, M180, A1(M) and M6. Major seaports at Hull, Grimsby and Immingham can be reached within 90 minutes drive time. Located close to 2 railports, easy access is available to European markets through the Channel Tunnel to the European mainland. Five international airports are within 1 hour’s drive time: Manchester, Robin Hood Doncaster Sheffield, Leeds-Bradford, Nottingham East Midlands and Humberside.

In an Assisted Area:
Barnsley is in the highest tier for UK assistance, which means businesses can receive the highest levels of support from Selective Finance for Investment. As part of South Yorkshire it also benefits from the £700 million EU Objective 1 programme providing support for economic development in South Yorkshire.

Other Kinds of Financial Assistance on Offer:
Barnsley Development Agency also offers financial support for workforce training, product feasibility studies and trade exhibitions. In addition, Jobcentre Plus offers a range of recruitment and training services, including support with advertising vacancies, issuing application forms and the provision of local wage rate advice. JOBMatch is a unique human resource consultancy service providing free assistance to inward investors and expanding indigenous companies.

Special Sites and Locations:
Barnsley is home to Enterprise Zone sites offering tax incentives and exemption from business rates until November 2005. Fields End Business Park, a 14.8 ha site, is situated in an Enterprise Zone and has direct access to the new £40 million Dearne Valley link road (A1/M1 link) and is located within 5 miles of A1, J37. The site benefits from close access to local amenities and is within walking distance of Goldthorpe railway station providing connections to London and beyond.

Available Sites Include:
Barnsley has a range of sites within the M1 technology corridor at junctions 36 and 37. ‘Sector 36’ sites located at M1 J36: Shortwood Business Park, a high quality, development of speculative business accommodation with units available for occupation from September 2005; and Ashroyd Business Park that will provide serviced development plots from November 2005 and a 50,000 sq ft speculative unit in 2006. Capitol Park Barnsley is located at M1 J37 and provides design and build opportunities in this strategic location immediately adjacent to the motorway junction. A first phase of speculative hybrid units (2,500 to 7,000 sq ft) will be available from Spring 2006. Ten minutes drive from M1 J38 and M1 J37, Phase II of Zenith Business Park will see further high quality industrial units with sizes ranging from 8,000 to 12,000 sq ft. Other exciting developments being progressed include: Park Springs, Grimethorpe and Park Springs Houghton which will see some 72 hectares of employment land becoming available to end users.

Major Business Parks:
Dodworth Business Park – 15 hectares; Zenith Business Park – 5 hectares; Fields End Business Park – 11 hectares; Goldthorpe Industrial Estate – 44 hectares; Shortwood Business Park – 12.7 hectares; Ashroyd Business Park - 17 hectares; Rockingham Business Park – 21 hectares; Capitol Park – 13.8 hectares; Claycliffe Business Park – 5.7 hectares; Wharncliffe Business Park – 6.4 hectares; Stairfoot Business Park – 7.3 hectares and Thurnscoe Business Park – 5.6 hectares.

Shortwood Business Park (artist’s impression)

Office Developments Include:
Office developers are also realising the locational and competitive advantages that Barnsley has to offer, resulting in an increase in the number of strategic office schemes in Barnsley. These include:

• Acorn House, a 17,340 sq ft prestigious office facility at Mount Osbourne Business Park located close to Barnsley town centre.
• Phase 1 of Claycliffe Office Park, a 50,000 sq ft office development, with units available for sale freehold from 1,500 to 3,000 sq ft.
• Maple Park development at Wentworth Business Park, is a multi-million pound investment in high-quality speculative office units ranging from 3,000-5,000 sq ft, which are now available for occupation.
• Gateway Plaza, a 200,000 sq ft development that will incorporate 90,000 sq ft of office space as well as 152 residential apartments, 500 car parking spaces and leisure facilities.
• Barnsley Business and Innovation Centre (BBIC) – Wilthorpe is located 1.5 miles from Barnsley town centre and offers 79,890 sq ft of high-quality managed incubation offices, targeted at innovative/knowledge based companies.

Major Industries in the Area:
Automotive components, pharmaceutical and healthcare, food, advanced manufacturing, ICT, engineering, packaging, mechanical engineering, electronics, logistics and R&D.

Major Companies in the Area:
True Corp, Textron, Earth-Tec Engineering and DaimlerChrysler from the US; Koyo-Seiko from Japan; Kostal, Duve, Siemens and Renner from Germany; Jacquet Industries from France; Sematic from Italy; Rexam from Sweden; Perkins Foods and Galpharm International from the UK.

Advice and Assistance:
BDA is home to Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council’s Inward Investment and Development Team, which offers potential inward investors and existing Barnsley companies a friendly and professional service, free of charge. Services provided include: land and property information and advice; planning information and advice; financial assistance and grant availability; recruitment and training support; business advice; on-going project support and an unrivalled aftercare programme.

Contact:
Barnsley Development Agency, Beevor Court, Pontefract Road, Barnsley S71 1HG. Telephone: +44-(0)1226-784451. Fax: +44-(0)1226-784455. E-mail: enquiries@barnsleydevelopmentagency.co.uk Web Site: www.barnsleydevelopmentagency.co.uk

Summary:
Exciting developments are taking place in Barnsley to create the 21st century market town, which will be the pride of future generations. Under the ‘Remaking Barnsley’ banner, a major urban renaissance programme is moving forward, the long-term goal of which is to establish a coherent centre at the heart of the town, enhancing its desirability as a place to work, live, shop and visit. Ambitious plans and £380 million of projects are behind the transformation. Situated in the heart of Yorkshire, Barnsley has some of the most beautiful settings in the country, coupled with the hustle and bustle of a lively town centre. The famous market, which has been running for over 700 years, forms the commercial and social heart of the town. The town centre offers an excellent mix of shops, restaurants, cafes, theatres, museums, art galleries, hotels, sports and leisure facilities. Green spaces are abundant in Barnsley with plenty of open or wooded beautiful countryside and hundreds of miles of footpaths. Nature reserves and country parks welcome visitors all year from all over the world. The Peak District National Park is also on the doorstep, providing plenty of scope for the outdoor enthusiast. Housing prices in Barnsley are very competitive and homes are available across a broad range from detached to cottages, modern estates to traditional semi-detached and town houses. Barnsley is well-served by high-quality educational provision from its 90 primary and 14 secondary schools, and Barnsley College which is one of the largest Further Education Colleges in Yorkshire. It also has easy access to all the region’s universities, particularly Sheffield, Leeds and York, which give access to a wealth of research, training and rapid prototyping facilities.