Delivering For Business

DELIVERING FOR BUSINESS ANTRIM AND NEWTOWNABBEY

FOREWORD

WELCOME TO ANTRIM AND NEWTOWNABBEY - DELIVERING FOR BUSINESS!

Capitalising on our position as the number one planning authority in Northern Ireland, Antrim and Newtownabbey is a highly sought after location for investment, with many major global companies setting up business here.

This is just one link in the chain of the Council’s strategy to cement the Borough’s reputation as Northern Ireland’s economic powerhouse.

Our Borough is a prime location, with excellent road, rail and air connections supported by our International Airport and our close proximity to the City Airport in Belfast, making mainland Europe accessible in under 2 hours.

Alongside our excellent partnerships with leading centres of education including Queens University, University of Ulster and further education college networks giving us a highly educated and skilled workforce.

Our advanced digital infrastructure, state-of-theart business facilities and competitive operating costs (on average 30% lower than the rest of the UK) means Antrim and Newtownabbey is really ‘Delivering for Business’.

Over the last year we have enjoyed many success stories, which means we are well on track to achieve our ambition of securing £1bn of investment and 2000 high quality jobs by 2025. Nowhere is this more evident than in the high-quality portfolio of advanced manufacturing projects being lined up at Global Point Business Park, Newtownabbey.

This exceptional site is fast becoming a highly desirable location for advanced manufacturing companies of all sizes.

The multi-billion dollar advanced manufacturer Ardagh Group has chosen Global Point as the location for their Northern Ireland base and will build a new 58,000sq m facility, creating around 200 jobs.

Global industrial technology company, Sensata, is set to create a £16.5m state-of-the-art facility at this location.

Global Point will also be home to a £98m Factory of the Future, part of the Advanced Manufacturing and Innovation Centre (AMIC). Led by Queen’s University, the AMIC project will be the first of its kind in Northern Ireland, offering advanced manufacturing and engineering businesses access to the very latest technology, specialist equipment and expertise.

These strategic investments will act as an economic stimulus, attracting other companies to the area and reinforcing Global Point’s position as a centre of advanced manufacturing excellence.

So if you are ready to begin your journey or would simply like to find out more about us and the great opportunities we have to offer, please get in touch and together we’ll get started.

Mayor of Antrim and Newtownabbey Alderman Stephen Ross

ANTRIM AND NEWTOWNABBEY

FOR BUSINESS

OUR BOROUGH

Antrim and Newtownabbey offers exceptional property options for every type of business across all industry sectors. As well as having an abundance of high-quality office, retail and industrial space at prices that compete favourably with any city in Western Europe, we also offer dedicated pioneering centres for companies operating in the technology, science, and digital/creative industries.

Our digital infrastructure is excellent, alongside a quality yet affordable housing market and an efficient and well-connected transport system. We have almost 4,500 VAT registered businesses operating in our locality and over 80% of the working age population in employment.

Already, some of the world’s leading companies realise the economic benefits of trading in a region that offers fast, easy access to an international airport. Our region is a major center for companies operating in the Advanced Manufacturing, Materials and Engineering, Construction, Life and Health Sciences and Digital and Creative sectors.

Ours is a Borough of real opportunitywith a range of strategic sites available for development, we have much to offer investors and businesses seeking expansion opportunities.

We hope this brochure will give you a flavour of the many exciting benefits our Borough has to offer when it comes to business and investment opportunities.

Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council is on course to hit its ambitious target of £1bn investment and create 2,000 high-quality jobs by 2025, with 2,100 jobs and £609m of investment in the pipeline to date.

OUR BUSINESS PORTFOLIO

Antrim and Newtownabbey boasts a high quality portfolio of manufacturing projects being lined up at Global Point Business Park, Newtownabbey. This exceptional site is fast becoming a highly desirable and sought after location for manufacturing companies both big and small. These include:

• Ardagh Group - £150m investment to build their new 58,000sq m Northern Ireland base;

• Sensata Technology is set to create a £16.5m state-of-the-art facility;

• A £4m investment from Steel Mac;

• Global Point will also house a £100m Advanced Manufacturing and Innovation Centre (AMIC) led by Queens University.

Other major investments that the Council has been involved in across the length and breadth of the Borough include:

• Mining equipment firm Tribe Tech setting up new state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Mallusk;

• Leading fitness equipment manufacturer BLKBOX relocating from Belfast to a new £1m facility at Monkstown;

• Continued expansion of Jan Composites site in Antrim and plans to significantly grow its existing workforce;

• A new £10m Dobbies Garden Centre flagship store at The Junction retail park, Antrim, creating 100 jobs;

• The hospitality industry has also reaped the benefits of strategic investments, with continued redevelopment and expansion of the Hilton Hotel and the Rabbit Hotel, both in Templepatrick.

ITS PRIME POSITION OFF THE M2, JUST NORTH OF BELFAST CITY CENTRE AND TOWARDS THE POPULAR ANTRIM COAST, WILL ALLOW US TO BRING THE DOBBIES EXPERIENCE TO A NEW AREA WITHIN NORTHERN IRELAND.

Graeme Jenkins Chief Executive Dobbies

OUR INDUSTRIAL LAND

Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough has 96 hectares of developable land READY FOR YOUR BUSINESS!

GLOBAL POINT, NEWTOWNABBEY

14 hectares of prime, developable land available and zoned for employment/industrial use. Global Point Business Park, owned by Invest NI, is a fully serviced site which is available for lease to Invest NI client companies. Additional investment will also connect the nearby rail halt to Global Point. The sites are suitable for a variety of uses and can be divided into smaller plots. Other advanced manufacturing uses will be of major relevance given the pipeline of other manufacturing companies already coming to this location.

BELFAST INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

70 hectares of land adjacent to Northern Ireland’s largest airport available for development. BIA is the 10th largest in the UK with over 6 million passengers in 2018, is a major base for EasyJet and Jet2 and has based aircraft by Ryanair, Thomas Cook and TUI. The subject lands are located next to the existing cargo village park and are currently undeveloped. Land is available in a variety of plot sizes to suit occupier requirements. These lands would be suitable for a wide variety of uses such as manufacturing and distribution, aviation related industries, including aircraft maintenance hangars, research and design facilities, offices and call centres, leisure or hotel use. BIA has recently completed a masterplan for the site, which includes outline planning permission.

NUTTS CORNER COMMERCIAL PARK

12 hectares of land located at Nutts Corner Roundabout, with ease of access to the M1 Motorway at Moira Roundabout. The site is located approximately 12 miles from Belfast city centre. The location also provides ease of access to Belfast International and City Airport, as well as both Belfast and Larne Ports. Suitable potential uses for this site include logistics and manufacturing facilities. The site comprises planning permission for a distribution park, suitable for design and build opportunities.

OUR SUPPORT

• Our Direct Investment Fund offers dedicated support from Council’s Investment and Planning teams and financial assistance by way of either grant assistance or improvements to infrastructure.

• Skills Academies provided by the Council offer bespoke training for companies across a range of disciplines including Data Analytics, Software Development & Testing, Cyber Security, Animation and Game Development.

• Business support and growth programmes offering free tailored and specialist business support to companies and social enterprises in the Borough.

• Support to access new advanced technology.

• Access to Invest NI support programmes, including access to mentoring, financing and export markets. https://www.investni. com/support-for-business

• Strong links with academic institutions including Queens University, Ulster University and industry focused Regional Colleges.

Wrap-around business support programmes available through Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council include:

Alderman

INVESTMENT LEADERSHIP TEAM

THE COUNCIL HAS BEEN INSTRUMENTAL AND VERY SUPPORTIVE OF THE JANS GROUP AND MANUFACTURING IN THE AREA. THEIR PLANS TO SUPPORT AN ADVANCED MANUFACTURING HUB IN THE BOROUGH IS A VERY STRONG AND WELCOME IDEA, WHICH WILL ALLOW US TO DEVELOP OUR EXISTING PRODUCT RANGE, WHICH IN TURN, WILL HELP SUPPORT THE LOCAL SUPPLY CHAIN.

DIXON Chief Executive

Ronan Hamill

Chief Executive, Jans Group

JACQUI

STEVEN

NORRIS Head of Regeneration and Infrastructure

MICHAEL MCKENNA Head of Investment and Business Development

MAJELLA

MCALISTER Director of Economic Growth and Planning