Location:
Located in the centre of the United Kingdom, in the North West of England, Warrington sits between the vibrant cities of Manchester and Liverpool. Its central position at the heart of the national motorway system means that 23 million consumers are within 2 hours driving time, as is 60% of British industry.

Transportation Services: Warrington is just 30 minutes from Manchester International and Liverpool John Lennon Airports, which together serve 206 global destinations. The area is within a few minutes of the motorway network, bordered, by the M56 the M62 to the north and the M6 to the east. The two main line railway stations serve the UK’s East and West coasts and offer fast access to mainland Europe via London.

Assisted Area:
Yes. Warrington has Assisted Area status with Tier 2 status. This gives companies locating in Warrington access to some of the most generous grants on offer in the UK.

Special Sites and Locations:
Yes, Warrington has 5 enterprise areas. These areas focus on and co-ordinate measures targeted on or likely to help business in deprived areas.

Available Sites Include:
Omega: 580 acre site with direct access onto the M62 motorway via Junction 8. The masterplan of Omega allows for a high-quality business park of over 7 million sq ft; primarily office space, plus hotel and leisure development, together with an area to the north of the site for distribution.

Lingley Mere: 100-acre site for development adjacent to Omega for development of office, high-tec business space, hotel and leisure.

Big Apple: 40 acres available for development on established distribution park, located within 1 mile of the M6/M56 intersection.

Major Business Parks:
Birchwood Park: to the north east of Warrington close to the M62 and M6 motorways, Birchwood Park is a 123-acre mixed use business park owned by MEPC, comprising over 1 million sq ft of office and industrial space. With high standards of landscaping, security and on-site management, complemented by conference and leisure facilities, Birchwood Park has created a dynamic business environment catering for a wide range of occupiers, including: UKAEA, Vodafone, Ericsson and Alfred McAlpine.

Gemini Park: located alongside the M62 between Junctions 8 & 9, the Gemini Business Park is a complete mix of office, light industrial, retail and leisure with occupiers such as Marks & Spencer and Ikea.

Birchwood Park

Centre Park very successful town centre office park, which has seen each speculative phase of development fully let, with further development planned. Detached office buildings of 5-10,000 sq ft are arranged around a quality landscaped environment, and complemented by facilities provided by a Village Hotel & Leisure Club, Travel Inn and Beefeater public house.

Centre Park

Birchwood One: office park development within walking distance of Birchwood Station and adjacent to Birchwood Shopping Centre. Detached, speculative buildings of 2,500-5000 sq ft, with further phase development potential for up to 25,000 sq ft.
 

Major Industries in the Area:
Biotech - life sciences, medical research, development of vaccines and treatments, genetics research, and environmental research.
Pharmaceuticals – development, research, testing and manufacturing, and healthcare.

IT/Data Services – data capture, data mining and analysis, monitoring and testing systems, software development, and hardware and manufacture.

Telecommunications – development of software, fibre optics, broadband technology, voice and data systems, and PC-telephone integration.

Advanced Automotive - automotive research and development. R&D is carried out within larger automotive production companies or in smaller consultancies, which often have a specialism eg body design or energy efficiency. This sector has strong links to HE research.

Major Companies in the Area:
Hewlett-Packard, Steria (IT); Exi telecoms, Opal, Vodafone (telecoms); British Nuclear Fuels (BNFL).

Advice and Assistance:
Warrington’s Economic Development Team offers a complete service to investors including: local information for inward investors, including economic, sectoral, marketing, business, personal and lifestyle data; site and premises finding service; database of Warrington companies, including exporters; overseas opportunities and trade missions in specific countries; use of the International Business Centre as a base and appointment making services for inward investors or to facilitate trade with Warrington-based companies; advice on relocation, skills and recruitment.

Contact:
Angela Hankey, Inward Investment Officer - Sites & Premises, Warrington Borough Council, Economic Development Team, International Business Centre,Delta Crescent, Westbrook ,Warrington WA5 7WQ. Tel: +44-(0)1925-715113. Fax: +44-(0)1925-715111. E-mail: ahankey@warringtonedt.com. Web site: www.warringtonuk.com

Summary:
High-quality, affordable housing and first class educational facilities and attainment are fundamental reasons why relocating managers choose Warrington. The town’s close proximity to one of the highest concentrations of higher education students and research and development facilities in Europe provides great competitive advantage.

As a centre of excellence for pharmaceuticals, IT, telecommunications, automotive and biotechnology, there is a large pool of specialist people available. The presence of over 160 overseas companies and hundreds of national names demonstrate the success of Warrington. The town has a fast growth track record and potential and forecasts show that economic and employment growth will far outstrip that of the wider North West and UK.