As UK’s first new town, Stevenage in Hertfordshire has grown over the years and is still expanding. Its good transport links and nearness to London help to make it attractive as a location for businesses, with a number of growing organisations in the area. Companies based here often need to refurbish their offices, and may want a complete office fitout to make the workplace more flexible and modern.
If you are looking to carry out a project of this type, contact Thames Contracts who are based in Barnet, north London, just 25 miles from Stevenage, and are experts in all kinds of office projects, including space planning and design.
Spotlight on Stevenage
Stevenage is about 30 miles to the north of Central London, and is flanked by Letchworth Garden City and Welwyn Garden City. After the Second World War it was one of a number of designated ‘New Towns’, or London overspill towns, despite strong opposition. It was planned with six self-contained neighbourhoods and a pedestrianised area in the centre.
The area is still expanding, with Great Ashby the focus of much of the new development. The population currently stands at 85,000, but according to the Office of National Statistics (ONS), it is predicted to grow to around 98,000 by 2031.
Stevenage is considered an attractive place to live for a number of reasons. It benefits from parks and open spaces, numerous leisure facilities, including three golf clubs and fitness centres, and extensive cycle lanes. It also has a leisure park with restaurants, a cinema and bowling facilities, a wide range of independent shops in the centre, and a number of high street names in the retail parks on the outskirts of the town.
In addition, Stevenage has superb transport links to London and the rest of the UK by road and rail, which all help to attract both residents and businesses to the area. It lies on the A1 motorway and is within easy reach of M1 (to the north), the M25 to London, and the A14 to Felixstowe. It also offers direct rail services to Leeds, York and Peterborough, while London Kings Cross can be reached within 20 minutes by train. Frequent bus services run locally and further afield, and you can reach Luton Airport by car in 20 minutes, Stansted in 40 minutes, and Heathrow Airport in around an hour (depending on traffic).
Business and Employment Profile
Stevenage offers some prime employment opportunities in areas such as aerospace, construction, and advanced engineering. Among some of the major companies based here are GlaxoSmithKline, Airbus Defence and Space, the Beattie Brothers, and one of the leading IT companies, Fujitsu.
Looking to the future, expanding developments include Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst, which gives small companies and start-ups in the field of biotech and life sciences access to the expertise of multi-national companies. Gunnels Wood is another major employment area, the largest in Stevenage, and there are hopes of redeveloping the town centre. As a result, in addition to the national and multinational companies based here, there are a growing number of smaller companies, such as digital start-ups, attracted to the town.
Stevenage has a booming economy with statistics showing higher than average national growth for the past 15 years. The service sector job industry is on the rise, and businesses on average generate a high worker output. There is a drive to raise skills, thanks to the efforts of colleges in the area, while Stevenage also benefits from being close to Hatfield, home of the University of Hertfordshire.
Mean while, if you are a local company looking to improve or refurbish your office space, Thames Contracts can help.
Office Fitout Stevenage – Contact Thames Contracts for space planning and refurbishment in the London and Hertfordshire area.