Eight years of work comes to fruition for Invest East Yorkshire

Siemens Mobility’s new £200 million Goole factory will start manufacturing trains for the UK market from April 2024, creating thousands of new jobs, both directly and across the wider supply chain.

For the Invest East Yorkshire team, which first began liaising with Siemens Mobility about the possibility of its new factory coming to Goole back in 2016, it’s a major milestone that represents the culmination of eight years of work. 

The team’s relationship with Siemens Mobility first began when the UK Government’s Department for Business and Trade (or UK Trade and Investment as it was then known) made it aware of the company’s nationwide search for a suitable location for its new train manufacturing site. 

Stephen Silvester, Inward Investment and Infrastructure Manager for Invest East Yorkshire, recalls: “Siemens were looking for a 50-acre plus site, with direct rail connection and room for expansion, as well as good workforce availability and local support. The enquiry went out via the usual Government channels to all local enterprise partnerships and devolved administrations across the country so that local authorities and other relevant stakeholders could respond with suggestions about suitable sites.” 

After collating the responses, Siemens Mobility drew up a shortlist of potential sites, two of which were in the East Riding of Yorkshire. 

Stephen and his colleagues then held a series of meetings and discussions with senior staff at Siemens Mobility to answer any questions they had and promote the East Riding of Yorkshire as the ideal location for their investment. 

The Invest East Yorkshire team offered a compelling and wide-ranging package of support, which convinced Siemens that Goole was the best location for their future plans. At the very core of the proposition was a fully serviced site on the Goole 36 Enterprise Zone, which the team had worked with land owner Homes England to open up for investment. This involved the development of the £13 million Tom Pudding Way link road, which was supported by an £8.3 million European Regional Development Fund grant and delivered in partnership with Homes England. 

Stephen explained: “We had a big hand in the selection of Goole for the manufacturing site, with Siemens considering places around the UK. After we’d presented them with a bespoke package of support, covering everything from planning guidance and labour market development to supply chain linkages and the opportunity to scale up their initial investment, the decision was made. Goole it was!” 

Finbarr Dowling, Siemens Mobility’s Director of Localisation, explained the key role that the Invest East Yorkshire team played in bringing the company to Goole:

“We had also worked with the Invest East Yorkshire team in relation to our investment in offshore wind in the area, so had confidence the team could deliver what we needed.” 

Mid-way through 2017, Goole was officially announced as the preferred location for Siemens Mobility’s new factory and the project moved into the next phase of development, with the Invest East Yorkshire team providing support every step of the way to achieve its goal of bringing Siemens Mobility to the Goole 36 site. Planning permission for the factory was approved in 2019 and this helped Siemens Mobility to secure a £1.5 billion contract to manufacture new underground trains for Transport for London.  

Since then, the £9 million development of the RaisE (Rail Accelerator & Innovation Solutions hub for Enterprise) Business Centre close to the new factory site has supported supply chain development and provided Siemens Mobility with office accommodation in close proximity to the factory.  

When it becomes fully operational, the new manufacturing site will create 700 new jobs, as well as a further 1,700 in the wider supply chain. Meanwhile, Siemens Mobility continues to invest in Goole, with a new components factory and logistics operation. It also has plans in the pipeline to expand its components business and, potentially, add a test track. These additional investments will create several hundred more new jobs. 

Government approves Goole tax site to unlock further investment in Humber Freeport

The Government has approved a freeport tax site in Goole, in a move which will stimulate further major investment within the Humber region.

The tax site, which forms part of the wider Humber Freeport, spans almost 500 acres of prime development land across two plots, separated by the M62 motorway, on the outskirts of the East Yorkshire town.

The proposed footprint for the Goole tax site was submitted for approval in August last year. Now the site has been officially designated, following review and approval by the Treasury and HM Revenue & Customs.

It means businesses investing within the tax site can benefit from a series of advantages, ranging from business rate and stamp duty land tax relief, to National Insurance support designed to reduce employment costs.

Humber Freeport Chair Simon Bird welcomed approval for the Goole tax site.

He said: “Designation of the Goole tax site is another major positive step forwards for Humber Freeport and our mission to drive economic growth, generate thousands of skilled jobs, support innovation and promote cross-sector collaboration.

“We strongly believe our freeport proposition in the Humber is a compelling and unique one, with huge opportunities in decarbonisation, advanced manufacturing, chemicals and port-related operations.

“We’re offering investors the opportunity to benefit from the Humber’s status as a global gateway, with easy access to mainland Europe and beyond via the UK’s busiest ports complex.

“We’ve got the space to grow, the people, the skills and the world-class companies already here to support investors, making the Humber the perfect place to do business.”

Humber Freeport aims to capitalise on the Humber’s vital role as a strategic asset for UK Plc as Britain’s global gateway, by attracting large-scale inward investments creating thousands of new jobs.

Designation of the Goole tax site will support the delivery of one of the region’s largest investments.

Leading property developer Wykeland Group holds the long-term development rights to the 211-acre northern part of the Goole tax site and Wykeland has exchanged on a deal with Finnish tissue paper manufacturer Metsä Tissue.

Subject to planning approval, Metsä Tissue will invest hundreds of millions of pounds to create the UK’s largest tissue paper mill on the site.

The facility is proposed to be built in several phases over the next few years. It will create more than 400 jobs, with thousands of additional indirect jobs generated across the supply chain and in the local economy.

Dominic Gibbons, Managing Director of Hull-based Wykeland, said: “Confirmation of freeport tax status for the Goole site is excellent news for Goole and the wider Humber.

“The freeport tax site benefits added to the attractiveness of the proposition for Metsä Tissue.

“They also underline the appeal of the wider Goole site, paving the way for further large-scale development delivering economic growth, new jobs and wide-ranging community benefits.”

The southern part of the Goole tax site is owned by St John’s College, Cambridge, which has appointed HBD, part of Henry Boot, as Development Partner. 

Goole has become a magnet for inward investment in recent years, with the freeport tax site designation underlining the appeal of a location with excellent transport links via road, rail and the UK’s premier inland port.

Siemens Mobility is at the forefront of the town’s rejuvenation, with an investment of up to £200m in a rail manufacturing facility, adjacent to the freeport tax site, where tube trains for London’s Piccadilly line will be built.

The manufacturing facility will employ up to 700 people, generating around 1,700 new employment opportunities in the supply chain, and is the centrepiece of a growing rail village encompassing manufacturing, servicing and research and development facilities.

The southern part of the Goole tax site presents an opportunity to create an integrated supply chain alongside the Siemens Mobility rail centre of excellence and the neighbouring Guardian Glass factory.

The site has the potential to unlock a wealth of high-quality employment opportunities, particularly within the rail, advanced manufacturing and low carbon energy sectors.

Goole is also seeing major investment in its housing stock, with housebuilder Beal Homes investing £210m in The Greenways development of 800 homes – one of the region’s largest current residential schemes – as well as in its public facilities, with Government funding directed through the Goole Town Deal.

Goole is one of three Humber Freeport tax sites, alongside Hull East and the Able Humber Port at Immingham.

Other companies that have announced plans to invest on Humber Freeport sites include rare earth exploration company Pensana and green hydrogen specialist Meld Energy, both at Saltend Chemicals Park within the Hull East tax site.

For more information on the Goole freeport tax site, visit www.humberfreeport.org/where-are-we/goole

Supporting the Rail Supply Chain Event

Join the Birmingham Centre for Railway Research & Education (BCRRE) for keynote speakers and festive networking.

This event is for any companies and stakeholders in the rail supply chain (large, small, start-up businesses).

The doors will open at 10:30 for coffee and registration. A networking lunch is included. The event closes at 14:30.

Tickets are free, simply sign up today!

Date
6 December 2023, 10.30am-2.30pm

Location
RaisE Business Centre, Tom Pudding Way, Goole, DN14 6BS

Event Link
Visit event website

Supporting the Rail Supply Chain Event with DfT and RSSB

Join the Birmingham Centre for Railway Research & Education (BCRRE), in partnership with the Department for Transport (DfT) and Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB), at this event to support the rail supply chain.

This event is for any companies and stakeholders in the rail supply chain (large, small, start-up businesses)

The doors will open at 10:30 for coffee and registration. A networking lunch is included. The event closes at 14:30.

Tickets are free, simply sign up today!

Date
7 November 2023, 10.30am-2.30pm

Location
RaisE Business Centre, Tom Pudding Way, Goole, DN14 6BS

Event Link
Visit event website

Feast your eyes on the new cafe at RaisE

We are thrilled to announce that we have awarded the café contract at the RaisE Business Centre to a local Goole business. 

Feast 78 is a family business, set up in 2020 by Lesley Lawton.  

The business has been running from Lesley’s home, but will soon move into their new fully-fitted kitchen facility at the RaisE Business Centre.

Feast 78 will be offering breakfast, brunch, and lunches with desserts, cakes, hot and cold drinks, as well as daily specials. They will be providing a warm, friendly, and professional service, with everything available to eat in or take away. 

They will continue to provide buffets for corporate, and private functions and will cater for meetings, conferences and events held within the business centre. 

Once opened, the café will become the focal point when entering the building. This makes it easily accessible to tenants, passing trade from the local business community, and the wider public. 

In the meantime, visit the Feast 78 website: www.feast78.com to find out more about the business.

Beal Homes

There are many port towns to be found along the River Ouse in the East Riding of Yorkshire, but one of the most fascinating has to be Goole, which can be found neighbouring Sheffield, Leeds, York and Hull.

It started off life in the early 1800s as a small community and has seen such growth over the years that it is now called home by more than 18,000 people!

As places to live go, it offers residents all sorts of advantages and benefits, everything from highly regarded nurseries and schools to a vast array of bars and restaurants, music venues, sports grounds, amazing transport links, beautiful countryside… the list goes on and on.

Where the housing market is concerned, it seems that the town of Goole is on the cusp of something quite exciting, with award-winning housebuilder Beal Homes steering the reins of local regeneration and delivering residential developments to provide the community with a series of luxury new homes.

The East Yorkshire-based housebuilder’s transformational Greenways development is the largest investment in the town’s housing stock for decades, with £130 million being invested that will ultimately see 800 homes built on a 73-acre site off Rawcliffe Road.

Interestingly, the first phase of the Greenways development sold off-plan in a record 22 days, making it one of the company’s most successful launches ever! In all, 23 out of the 50 properties were gone in the opening sales weekend… testament to the quality of housing being produced – as well as the increasing desirability of living in Goole.

The Greenways is the biggest single development in Beal’s proud history of almost 55 years, offering a collection of two, three and four-bedroom homes in high demand by a wide range of househunters, from first-time buyers to growing families and professionals.

Construction began in 2020 and the development is now well advanced, creating an aspirational new community of residents sharing pride in their new neighbourhood and in the resurgence of their town.

The Greenways supports the creation of hundreds of jobs locally by companies such as Siemens Mobility, which is developing a £200m rail manufacturing facility in Goole, and chemicals company Croda, which has built a new worldwide distribution hub in the town.

But it’s not just housing developments that Beal Homes takes pride in. The housebuilder is also proving to be a pivotal player in the wider regeneration of the town, supporting all sorts of great causes in the local community, including sponsoring non-league football club Goole AFC and providing funding for programmes of community engagement by Goole Tennis Centre.

Chief executive Richard Beal has this to say about the company’s work in the community and beyond:

“We’re very proud to be playing an essential role in Goole’s regeneration by delivering The Greenways development. Goole is enjoying unprecedented investment and job creation, as well as a significant injection of funding to improve the town’s facilities, key assets and public spaces.”

“Our huge investment at The Greenways is a major and vital part of this regeneration jigsaw, as it provides the high-quality contemporary homes wanted by local residents and the increasing numbers of people attracted to Goole by the many new opportunities in and around the town.”

“Our contribution to the Town Deal Board and to supporting the community at grassroots level reflects our wider commitment to creating a lasting legacy of positive change in Goole.”

If you’d like to find out more about how Invest East Yorkshire can help you develop your business in the future, get in touch with us today.

Elite Office Furniture

In 2019, Elite Office Furniture opened their new advanced manufacturing facility, head office and showroom in a bid to support further growth in their industry.

Now standing as a multi-million-pound business, occupying 244,254 sq. ft. of manufacturing space and employing 150 people, Elite remain proud of their beginning as a once small family firm powered by local people.

Elite Office Furniture began production in 1986, initially based in Howden. Two years later production moved to larger premises in Goole, with a workforce of just 12 production operatives.

In 2017, the decision was made to invest in a new advanced manufacturing facility as the current premises on Britannia Way had been extended six times during its 30 years of occupation and could no longer support further development.

“We’re delighted to see Goole being acknowledged by world leading enterprises as an area of innovation and investment. Our own investment in the area to responsibly manufacture office furniture and seating is helping to promote Goole’s potential.”

Committed to Goole

During location feasibility studies, it was made clear to the project team that Elite wished to remain committed to the Goole area, primarily to maintain our local workforce and to continue to support the Goole area – ensuring that money is invested back into the local community, boosting the local economy and lowering the area’s unemployment rate. This included using local building contractors during construction with materials sourced from local small businesses.

Their advanced production facility is now fully operational and located adjacent to the M62 motorway. This location was selected for direct access to the heart of the national motorway network, for efficient distribution and to reduce the volume of freight traffic within the town.

Responsible Manufacturing

“Elite’s factory is considered one of, if not the most, sustainable facilities in the furniture manufacturing industry.”

The design of Elite’s new facility incorporates innovative energy saving materials and technology to support their sustainable aims.

This includes the commissioning of a 1MW biomass boiler to heat the factory, coupled with an onsite woodchipper and large silo to store all wood offcuts, supplying feed to the boiler.

LED lighting sourced from a Goole-based electrical contractor was installed throughout the factory, offices and external area, reducing power consumption by around 40%. The lights are controlled by PIR sensors and only activate when movement is detected and the natural lighting level falls below the level demanded by the area’s duties.

More than £8m was invested in advanced machinery that streamlines manufacturing methods, reduces production flows and energy use and substantially increases output to achieve our ambitious goals.

Preserving the Surrounding Ecosystem

Recognising that the surrounding land was an existing habitat for many species of wildlife, Elite wanted to ensure there were responsible steps to mitigate the impact of their development on the surrounding ecosystem. They worked closely with ecology consultants and landscapers to identify a variety of twenty different plant species that would enhance the environment. This included tall-growing evergreen trees placed on the boundary of the site to reduce the visual impact of the building to local residents.

A post-construction ecological survey was carried out and identified newts, bats and rare birds, including three species listed on the RSPB’s Red and Amber Conservation List, had settled in the area. In addition, Elite released 150 common carp and mirror carp to inhabit the pond, where water levels are maintained from falling rainwater on the site and from the surrounding agricultural land, preventing the flood risk of the area.

For further details of our history and continued investment in Goole, please visit: www.elite-furniture.co.uk/our-story.

If you’d like to find out more about how Invest East Yorkshire can help you develop your business in the future, get in touch with us today.