Partners build on Broadway success

SUCH has been the success of a joint venture between United Business Centres and developers Gladmans, the partners are seriously considering expanding into a second building.

UBC are currently in the 10,000 sq ft Howarth Court, a three-storey building in Gateway Crescent on the Broadway Business Park.

The building can accommodate around 120 fully-serviced workstations and with more than half taken up, moves in the offing and interest in much of the remaining space, manager Zoe Lee-Smith is seriously considering expansion into an adjacent building.

There are six properties within the development, which was opened last year by Gladmans on the canalside site, and two remain empty — a two-storey and a four-storey building.

Zoe, from Lees, says: “We are seriously looking an expansion.

“There has been good interest in our space from Oldham and surrounding areas.

“There is particular interest from Manchester as our costs and overheads are much more competitive than in the city and we are right on the border.”

The benefits of using UBC, according to Zoe, are that everything is provided, from telephone systems and technology connections to desks and storage space.

“Tenants need only to invest in their own PC hardware and software and they are in business, literally,” she added.

Within the centre there are a range of meeting rooms plus kitchen facilities and free car parking.

Tenants range from one-person operations to much larger blue chip names like Balfour Beatty Construction.

The site’s first tenants, Micro Regeneration, an environment management business, has grown significantly but remained on the development, moving into larger offices.

Zoe, who lets the space and manages the site with colleague Sarah Platt, from Chadderton, is confident that Oldham can sustain the success.

Aside from looking at expanding on Broadway, she is looking at potential sites in neighbouring Rochdale and Bury for more UBC operations.