36 BURNLEY
Continued from Page 35
Philip Jones is director of new services at Calico Group. In terms of property services the organisation spends about £40m a year in the borough, refurbishing and rebuilding.
He says: “We get phenomenal support in terms of bringing schemes forward and attracting funding in.
“We have investors too in order to move our business forward. We have to convince banks and private investors that the town is worth what we’re asking them to pay and it’s not a difficult conversation. People want to invest in Burnley.
“Those investors are not just looking at the business plan we present, they’re interest in
agency to want to be in the city centre, in a big glass box, we chose to come back to Burnley Wharf, which is an exciting and regenerated part of the town.
“The council was instrumental in bringing us back. The council continually check in and we continuously speak to people in the local authority.”
Ian Bythell, of estate agents Petty Real, believes the town’s “fantastic” residential offering, coupled with its location, also make Burnley attractive to would-be investors.
He says: “Within ten minutes of the town centre, you can be in open countryside in any direction.
It’s a fantastic location. We are within an hour of
three major airports. We’re actually really centrally located so I can get into Manchester, I can get to
Preston. The town also has the facilities to encourage its ambition to flourish
what the local authority is doing, the broader offer, the skills mix and the opportunity people have locally to move forward.”
Leon Calverley, director at digital marketing agency Door4, explains how the company returned to make Burnley its headquarters seven years ago.
He says: “The world expects a marketing
“It’s a fantastic location. We are within an hour of three major airports. We’re actually really centrally located so I can get into Manchester, I can get to Preston. The town also has the facilities to encourage its ambition to flourish.”
That accessibility played a major part in international accountancy firm Azets’ decision to move into Burnley some 12 months ago.
Partner David Kitson says: “The reason why we effectively invested by getting an office, we’re on Network65, is in the large part connectivity. It is that accessibility, the ability to reach further.
“We do see a lot of confidence in our client base, which is predominantly around this area of east Lancashire.”
Wes Kellow, operations manager at Burnley Leisure and Culture, talks about the resilience he sees “throughout the town and the borough” along with first-class facilities and importantly the attitude to those working in them.
He explains: “It’s that friendly face, that smile when you walk in. It’s that personal touch that we can put on for absolutely anybody. And that’s across the leisure, tourism, hospitality and culture industry.”
Chris Forrest, managing director at TCB Designs, another growing business in the borough, sees momentum. He says: “Burnley is moving forward at pace now and no-one is slowing down.
“There are a multitude of reasons why the borough is attractive to investors but mainly it’s the people and the ambition.”
Scott Chapman, managing director at Scope Fire and Security, agrees: “It’s about the ambition, which then creates momentum. If you think about all the businesses we’ve got in the town now that are known nationally, that’s pushed it further.
“Burnley has real momentum about it now and that creates an energy. You can feel it.”
PRESENT: Richard Slater
Lancashire Business View (Chair)
Helen Ingham
Donald Race and Newton Solicitors
Karen Buchanan Burnley College
Philip Jones Calico Group
Ian Bythell Petty Real
Wesley Kellow Burnley Leisure Group
Leon Calverley Door4
David Kitson Azets
Michael Cavannagh Trevor Dawson
Dharma Kovvuri UCLAN
Scott Chapman Scope Fire and Security
Lukman Patel Burnley Council
Chris Forrest TCB Designs
Chris Speakman Speakman Contractors
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