Birchwood: the jewel in the North West’s crown

The message at Warrington's sixteenth annual property report was one of the most positive yet – heralding more good news for the North West’s emerging business centre.

Not only is Warrington's industrial property take-up the highest since reports began in 1998, the office market is also on the up, mirroring the national trend.
Ideally located between Liverpool and Manchester, it’s no wonder that the region’s office market has posted the highest level of activity since 2001, but more surprising still is that most of the office deals have been secured by out of town locations such as Birchwood.
Birchwood is a significant European business destination in its own right and one of the UK’s success stories. It is home to 12,000 residents and the 400 businesses located in the area employ 17,000 people from across the region.
Birchwood has secured itself as a hot spot for companies operating in the energy sector, with a number of large companies based in the area, including AMEC, NNL and Areva. This claim is now further supported following plans to build a £10m University Technical College in Warrington town. MEPC Birchwood Park now hosts a quarterly nuclear forum for companies operating in the region, and the Park itself has become somewhat of a hub for industry networking and collaboration – supporting Warrington’s ambitions to attract further big players from the sector.
Birchwood Park has also seen an increase in its office uptake throughout the last 12 months, with major deals including the development of a new 35,000 sq ft head office for Your Housing Group, and a 15,457 sq ft lease by the Ministry of Justice for its inquest into the Hillsborough Disaster.
And 2014 is already shaping up to be another triumphant year with the announcement that 305 Bridgewater Place if fully let less than a year after its completion, and the anticipation surrounding the current £4m refurbishment project at the Park’s landmark building, 401 Faraday Street.
Jonathan Walsh, Managing Director of MEPC Birchwood Park, commented: “It has been widely publicised that Warrington is one of the few towns in the country where the economy is booming, and it’s not hard to see why.
“I firmly believe that Warrington is the crowning glory of the North West, not least because of its enviable position, and within that crown, Birchwood is the jewel. Being just 15 miles from Manchester and 23 from Liverpool, it is ideally situated for businesses with employees from both cities.
“Birchwood has been described by some as an ‘economic powerhouse’ in its own right, and outstrips the majority of the UK on a number of fronts; it is fast becoming a hub for companies operating in the nuclear and energy sectors, and many of the North West's 200 largest locally controlled business have their headquarters based here, making it one of the most popular office locations in the North West.
“The Park has seen an influx of companies looking for a location that will allow them to grow and support their business goals. Our commitment to the community in which we reside means we are more than just a business park or a collection of offices – we are a destination in our own right, for businesses and residents of Warrington.”