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The Babergh District is the southern part of the County of Suffolk, it extends from Sudbury in the west, to Ipswich and the Shotley peninsula in the east.
It is an economically diverse area which ranges from traditional retailing, in market towns like Hadleigh, to entrepreneurial information driven businesses. Active industrial sectors at Sudbury, Hadleigh, Brantham and on the western fringe of Ipswich are balanced with attractive leisure facilities including championship golf courses and first-class sailing centres. The tranquil beauty spots of the internationally renowned areas of Constable Country, and the medieval wool villages at Lavenham and Kersey, provide high quality of life surroundings for residents whilst forming the basis for a strong local tourism industry.
 
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Business and enterprise support
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Opening of Hadleigh Business & Learning centre in January 2004, offering 20 managed workspace units with onsite support services, a Suffolk Institute of Technology Learning Point and a 60-place day nursery under one roof.
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Continued success of South Suffolk Business Centre, with full occupancy of 24 units and support services provided to tenants.
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Support for small businesses through advice provided by our partners at IPSENTA and MENTA, Babergh business start-up and business growth loan schemes. Support also provided to Chambers of Commerce and business organisations.
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Work with Suffolk Development Agency and Invest East of England to provide an effective inward investment response service, online property database and investor development programme.
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Annual business evening to provide forum for businesses to discuss important issues with senior Council officers and members, business organisations, and with other local businesses. Event includes business ratepayers’ consultation exercise.
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New industrial estate directory signs on the Chilton Estate at Sudbury and Bull Lane Industrial Estate at Acton. Updated online employment area maps on Babergh website, and update of other directory signs around the district.
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Support for new business partnerships including Collaborate to Innovate group, Sudbury retailers, Sudbury HR group and Manufacturing Excellence group.
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Membership of ‘Powergen Partnership’ set up to assist employees of former TXU Energi business faced with redundancy following takeover by Powergen. The partnership directly helped many people find new employment or training opportunities.
Community and Infrastructure development
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Completion of the ‘Community Energy Project’ SRB6 programme in Sudbury & Great Cornard, which has levered over £2m of project funding between 2000-2003.
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Capacity building of the voluntary & community sector in Sudbury & Great Cornard, which has led to bids for funding to secure their own future.
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Inauguration of the Sudbury Communites Area Forum in April 2004, a pilot Area Forum for the Western Suffolk Local Strategic Partnership that builds upon the successful Community Energy Project partnership.
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Support of bids to EEDA’s ‘Connecting Communities’ broadband competition, leading to the development of a wireless broadband network on Shotley Peninsula in 2004.
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Significant contribution to the EEDA ‘Investing In Communities’ submissions from Suffolk Development Agency and Haven Gateway Partnership.
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Financial support for the best practice exemplar Monks Eleigh Community Shop project via the Business Workspace grant.
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Board level representation on the Suffolk ACRE ‘Success’ (Community enterprise) SRB project
Other achievements
o Community Energy Project - £70,000 Suffolk Development Agency, £30,000 (Suffolk County Council), £15,000 (Primary Care Trust)
o Hadleigh Business & Learning Centre - £40,000 (SDA), £11,500 (EEDA Broadband fund)
o Sudbury HERS - £300,000 (English Heritage), £80,000 (Suffolk County Council), £65,000 (Sudbury Town Council)
o Shotley foot ferry pontoon - £150,000 (EEDA/Haven Gateway Partnership)
o Sudbury market town activity – Healthcheck £20,000 (EEDA), project officer £12,500 (Countryside Agency)
o Peninsula broadband group - £100,000 (EEDA broadband funding)
o Monks Eleigh Community Shop - £50,000 (SDA, Countryside Agency)
o Shotley Peninsula local strategy - £20,000 (Haven Gateway Partnership)
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Work to improve the connection between business and education through involvement in ‘Manufacturing Skills for Success’ day in Sudbury, Great Cornard Upper School problem solving week, Shotley Peninsula Learning Partnership and Haven Gateway Partnership ‘Maritime and Logistics skills’ co-ordinator.
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The last decade saw the completion of a number of important transportation projects which are set to continue growth and development of both the region and the District. The deep water approach route to Harwich Harbour enables access for the very largest of world-wide shipping to the haven ports of Ipswich, Felixstowe and Harwich.
Additionally, the proximity to both Stansted and Cambridge airports and the high standard of the A14 link road (part of the European TEN network) from Felixstowe via the A1 / M1 / M6 to the Midlands and the North, is bringing East Anglia and South Suffolk to the forefront of development activity.
The expectation that an international rail terminal will be located at Stratford (East London) should also increase the District's accessibility to the Channel Tunnel.
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South Suffolk has a number of exceptional merits which place it firmly in the limelight of renewed East Anglian growth. The workforce are adaptable and well trained in a variety of industries, from high volume precision engineering to customer services. An active business community thrives and has established successful partnership programmes exploring European opportunities and working in co-operation for town improvements.
Sudbury, as the District's largest population centre, remains the focus of industrial activity, which ranges from the traditional weaving and textile industry to large engineering facilities such as Delphi Automotive Systems.
 
Partnership schemes between local commerce and the District Council have become well established, protecting and enhancing South Suffolk's unique countryside and heritage, whilst bringing many benefits to local businesses.
Proposals for the future development of the district can be found in a District wide Local Plan. The Council also produced, after extensive consultation with the business community, an Economic Development Programme showing our proposed activities up to 2009.
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Town centre improvements
In recent years the Council has worked in partnership to develop a market town partnership in Sudbury, following the production of a town healthcheck in 2004. In addition Sudbury Heritage Economic Regeneration Scheme (HERS) is restoring an historically important part of the town.
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The Council has been at the forefront of encouraging a balanced and stable enterprise culture since the early eighties. The District is well served by the Suffolk Youth Enterprise Service, two enterprise agencies and the Business Link Suffolk.
A Business Workspace Grant is now well established within the District, encouraging the re-use of redundant buildings for employment creation. During the past few years, since the first grant payment was made in December 1988, the Business Workspace scheme has provided over £113,000 to 36 individual projects, creating over 5,250 square metres of floorspace and offering full-time employment opportunities to more than 160 people.
 
The Council's Economic Development dept can provide guidance on the suitability of redundant buildings for alternative commercial uses. Advice might include: likely demand; type of tenant; marketing styles; lease considerations; expected returns and pay-back periods.
The final stage of ensuring that economic and long-lasting employment benefits will occur is attracting the right occupants to use the converted buildings. By promoting these converted buildings through its regularly published Property for Business booklet, the Council has been quite successful in assisting the match of prospective tenants with the converted buildings.
The Council, in partnership with Suffolk County Council, opened a fully serviced managed workspace scheme in Sudbury in December 1995. The South Suffolk Business Centre provides a focus and resource centre not only for the tenant companies but also to the entire local business community. The Business Link Suffolk has a satellite base at the centre, which also hosts the local Enterprise Agency. During 2000 the centre was significantly expanded and now provides facilities for up to 24 tenant companies.
In 2004, a second centre was opened in Hadleigh – the ‘Hadleigh Business and Learning Centre’. As well as offering business units, the centre also has a private kindergarten, and a learning centre operated by Suffolk College; thus providing an important range of services to centre tenants and to the wider business community on the Lady Lane Industrial Estate.
 
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Initiatives include a Business Growth Loan Scheme and financial support for Youth Enterprise, Village shop development, Business Link and the local Enterprise Agencies. The Council is taking a formative role in the Suffolk Pathfinder project under the Governments New Commitment to Regeneration initiative.
In partnership with the community, the Council is planning for an active and healthy future, ensuring the provision of significant tracts of parkland, room for controlled residential growth, the regeneration of town centres, availability of a range of suitable industrial land and premises, and generally fostering economic and employment opportunities both for the urban areas and, importantly, the rural areas of the district.
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The Babergh Business Start-up Loan Scheme provides development finance to assist the establishment of new small businesses that will operate within the Babergh administrative area.
The Babergh Business Growth Loan Scheme provides development finance to established very small businesses operating within the Babergh area.
Guide to industrial estates and occupiers in the District
guide to requirements for small business operating from home.
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Economic Development staff are available to assist existing companies, and those considering locating to the Babergh area, with information, such as property values and availability, workforce demographics, supply chain information and general market intelligence.
Neil Henry or Sue Dawes - 01473-825868
ecodev@babergh.gov.uk
The Ordnance Survey mapping included within this website is provided by Babergh District Council under licence from the Ordnance Survey in order to fulfil its public function to encourage economic growth. Persons viewing this mapping should contact Ordnance Survey copyright for advice where they wish to licence Ordnance Survey mapping for their own use.
O.S. Crown copyright. All rights reserved
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