Industrial and office premises

Industrial premises

Plymouth City Council

The City Council manages 114 lettable industrial units, ranging in size from 56sq m to 697sq m (600sq ft to 7,500sq ft), with vacancies frequently arising. There are also a few larger units of up to 3,437sq m (37,000sq ft). Units are located at Belliver, Devonport, Honicknowle, Millbay, Newnham, Parkway and Plymstock.

A list of units currently available may be found on our asset management pages but, for further details, please email the Asset Management Team at commercial&valuation@plymouth.gov.uk.

Private sector

A variety of industrial properties are also available within the private sector, and the Economic Development Team produces an industrial property register to help identify suitable premises. For a copy of the 'Industrial Premises' schedule, please email the Economic Development Team at invest@plymouth.gov.uk or download from our commercial property register page.

Office accommodation

Plymouth City Council

Office accommodation is available at the City Council-managed City Business Park.

Private sector

The private sector offers a range of office accommodation, ranging from large, modern purpose-built offices in both central and peripheral areas of the city to smaller office premises mainly concentrated in the central area.

The Economic Development Team produces an office property register to help identify suitable business premises. For a copy of the 'Office Accommodation' schedule, please email the Economic Development Team at invest@plymouth.gov.uk or download from our commercial property register page.

Business parks

City Business Park and the Business Centre

Plymouth City Council has two business parks within the city region which offer workspace to let. City Business Park was opened in the early 1980s and continues to be widely used by a number of different tenants for office space use. The Business Centre opened in March 2008 and is Plymouth City Council's latest business park and like City Business Park, offers a wide range of office space for small to medium sized businesses.

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Formation Zone for Creative Industries

The Formation Zone, located in the University of Plymouth's Roland Levinsky Building, provides a dynamic environment for businesses within the creative industries sector, encompassing the knowledge, facilities and resources to inspire and enable creative people to start and build successful businesses within a supportive environment.

Workstations are available to hire on a flexible basis, and clients are provided with a professional computer, IP phone, broadband connection, a shared printer/photocopier, a small amount of secure storage and use of a professional meeting room. A separate incubator office in a prominent location and suitable for up to four people is also available.

Business support is provided by way of development plans, monthly progress reviews, referrals to creative industry advisors, or specialists within the University of Plymouth as appropriate, and access to the University of Plymouth Entrepreneurship Programme and Business Ideas Challenge, as well as the benefit of being within a shared environment with other creative business start-ups with which to network.

Clients of Formation Zone also have access to some of the resources within the University of Plymouth such as those at the Institute of Digital Art and Technology, Innovate and the Faculty of Arts. Access is determined on a case by case basis in consultation with the relevant department and is subject to timetabling requirements.

All Formation Zone applicants should be either at ideas stage, early business stage, or be an established business with a new product or service to develop. Businesses keen to re-focus and develop their offer in order to become sustainable will also be considered. Applicants should be able to demonstrate innovation, passion, commitment, high standards and potential for growth.

For further information, please email Formation Zone at formationzone@plymouth.ac.uk.

Tamar Science Park

Tamar Science Park is one of the fastest growing science parks in the UK with a tenant base of some 50 knowledge-based organisations. Its mission is to develop and manage advanced and conducive facilities and high added-value services in order to pro-actively nurture, encourage and support the development of innovative businesses at all points along the growth continuum.

It is primarily based on the principle of the ‘total environment’ for new, young and growing knowledge-based companies, offering reception, meeting, conference, office and business support services, together with 24/7 access by individual security card allocation and overnight and weekend manned security.

Business units within the Science Park range from 14sq m to 1,300sq m (150sq ft to 14,000sq ft).

For further information, please email Tamar Science Park at ittc@sciencepark.org.uk.

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Wolseley Trust Business Park

The Wolseley Community Economic Development Trust offers competitive rent levels on industrial and office units on the Wolseley Trust Business Park, together with free on-site business advice and support from its own staff and other agencies. The Business Park has a high standard of 24-hour security and good access to the nearby A38 Devon Expressway.

There is also an excellent variety of conference, meeting and training facilities available for hire at competitive rates, with catering available on-site.

The Trust has an excellent record of experience since 1996 in helping businesses to develop and creating local employment. The Trust's over-riding priority is to create employment and business opportunities for people living in the Plymouth inner-city areas. Enquiries from both new and existing businesses, and from outside the Trust's area, are welcomed with a view to helping the Trust's commitment to employment of local people and, to this end, it works closely with other agencies to help tenants find staff if required.

The good quality units are available at a reasonable rental, with easy-in, easy-out conditions and, together with the range of services provided, have proved attractive to small and medium-sized businesses.

For further information, please email Wolseley Trust Business Park at peter@wolseley-trust.demon.co.uk.

Scott Business Park

Wolseley Trust also developed the former Scott Hospital site in partnership with Plymouth City Council to create Scott Business Park, with the first phase of the site opening in January 2003.

Set in landscaped grounds, the Park comprises 34 high quality light industrial and office units, offering the very best facilities for local businesses to prosper and grow and combining state-of-the-art premises with flexible ‘easy in, easy out’ tenancies, competitive rentals and support from the Wolseley staff team.

The 10 office premises range in size from 50sq m to 95sq m (580sq ft to 1,000sq ft) whilst the 24 industrial units range from 70sq m to 300sq m (790sq ft to 3,100sq ft).

There are good facilities available for meetings and seminars, with catering provided on-site in the Jan Cutting Healthy Living Centre. There is also internet broadband access and a range of community services available at the centre.

For further details, please email Scott Business Park at setaylor100@yahoo.co.uk.

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HQ Business Centre

The HQ Business Centre was once home to the Jaeger clothing manufacturer, but has now been renovated and refurbished to offer approximately 40 purpose-designed business units for both office and light industry. The units range in size from 11sq m to 100sq m (120sq ft to 1,077sq ft) and boast:

• affordable rent
• easy-in, easy-out tenancies
• communal reception
• lounge and private garden
• toilets and showers
• disabled access
• conference room
• loading bays
• easy parking and cycle store

Further information on HQ may be obtained by emailing the Millfields Community Economic Development Trust at info@millfieldstrust.com.

The Millfields

The Millfields, former home of the Royal Naval Hospital, offers both business and residential opportunities within an attractive 26-acre walled site with impressive buildings and landscaped gardens.

Millfields Community Economic Development Trust manages 38 office and industrial units on the site, with 16 office units at Grade II Listed Creykes Court ranging in size from 19sq m to 139sq m (200sq ft to 1,500sq ft), and 22 office and light industrial units at Mary Seacole Road varying in size from 65sq m to 84sq m (700sq ft to 900sq ft).

Millfields Trust has recently been awarded a grant of £482,000 from Government Office for the South West to begin work on a new development of 14 office and light industrial units. The proposed accommodation will create 10,000sq ft of new light industrial and office units ranging from 28 to 93sq m (300sq ft to 1,000sq ft). Completion is expected in 2007.

Rental levels are competitive with easy-in, easy-out tenancy terms, and free on-site business advice and support is available. Further details may be obtained from the Millfields Community Economic Development Trust, email info@millfieldstrust.com.

Sites and land

Plymouth City Council

The City Council owns both small and large greenfield sites which may be available for manufacturing purposes and certain service industries at Broadley Park, Langage Park and Darklake View.

Further information on the availability of land and premises may be found on the Council owned land property for sale pages or by contacting the Asset Management Disposals Team, email property@plymouth.gov.uk.

South West of England Regional Development Agency

The South West of England Regional Development Agency owns several development sites in the city, the largest one being the 36-hectare (90-acre) Plymouth International Medical and Technology Park. The Regional Development Agency has invested over £8.5 million in this site and is now developing and marketing it with partners, with a particular focus on the medical sector. The Park is ideally located close to Derriford Hospital, Tamar Science Park and the new Peninsula Medical School and, as a result, is an attractive location for medical companies.

Some development of the site has taken place, and a number of high quality speculative business units have been built. The new Peninsula Radiology Academy, HM Land Registry computer services building, and £11 million 143-bedroom Future Inn Plymouth have all been constructed on the site, and there are proposals for the Nuffield Hospital and Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust to use the site for a state-of-the-art private hospital and a new diagnostic, treatment and rehabilitation centre.

For further information, please contact the South West of England Regional Development Agency, email enquiries@southwestrda.org.uk.

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