When you’re deciding where you base your business, one thing you can’t change about a location is where it actually is – so it’s vital you get it right.
And you can be well set up in the Borough of Broxbourne, the up-and-coming tech area just off the M25 where you can be neighbours with a brand-new Google data centre and Hertfordshire’s answer to Hollywood at Sunset Studios.
The jewel in Broxbourne’s business crown is the new £10m Theobalds Enterprise Centre (TEC), a state-of-the-art enterprise centre, offering flexible offices, coworking spaces, workshop units and studios with business support, which is perfect for your start-up, SME or growing business.
TEC, which officially opened in November, is part of Broxbourne Enterprise Centres (BEC), which is joined by Hoddesdon Enterprise Centre (HEC). Zoe Galea, Centre Manager, manages both sites.
Zoe said: “Whether you’re just starting out or looking to take your business to the next level, this is the place for you. We can’t wait to see you here.
“The location is superb – you’ll be just off the motorway, which means less time travelling and more time for you to do the important stuff. And there’s car and bike parking on site, so you won’t need to mess around looking for a space.
“This is a massive growth area. You’ll have Sky and Sunset Studios on your doorstep, and Google’s new data centre is being built next to TEC right now. It’s going to be a real hotspot for technology and the creative arts, and you can be a part of it.”
Other major developments in Broxbourne include new housing at Brookfield Riverside and Garden Village, the Rennaissance scheme to breathe fresh life into Waltham Cross town centre, and the Cheshunt Lakeside mixed-use development.
The progressive spirit of the area is encapsulated by the Green Wall beside the A10 in Waltham Cross, where a previously bare brick wall is now covered in plants and greenery. The wall includes 6,500 plants across 200 square metres, and naturally helps to improve air quality.
Broxbourne also has excellent leisure centres and green spaces, and it’ll be easy for you to get around from either TEC or HEC. You can get into Cheshunt or Waltham Cross within four minutes from TEC, and from HEC, it’ll take you five minutes to get to the heart of Hoddesdon. Waltham Cross and Hoddesdon have lively market days each Wednesday and Friday.
If you’re going to be using trains, the two centres are also near railway stations – Rye House railway station is eight minutes away from HEC, and TEC is 10 minutes on foot from Theobalds Grove station. It’s not far to London Liverpool Street, Stratford or Cambridge, and Stansted Airport is within easy reach.
Businesses already based at TEC include VOW Nutrition, which launched five years ago and whose drinks are set to power Team GB athletes at this summer’s Paris Olympics.
VOW founder Simon Stevens was delighted back in December to welcome canoeists Joe Clarke, Mallory Franklin, Kimberley Woods and Adam Burgess to his base on TEC’s top floor, with views across to London.
Simon said: “It was an incredible pleasure to have members of Team GB at our fantastic new offices. It was a great opportunity to show off our new space.
“Now we’re here, we won’t be moving. And we’re potentially looking at taking on some more space.
“I think it’s an up-and-coming area and I was badgering the council to get my name on the list when I first heard about the plans. We’ve been having almost daily visits from people and meetings since we moved in – where we were before, we couldn’t invite anyone in.
“There’s a lovely little coffee area where they can wait when they arrive and there are great facilities throughout, especially plenty of parking.
“As we’re growing and talking to more retailers, it’s important to be able to invite them to our office. Quite often these people want to see where you’re based and we are proud to bring people here.”
This article featured in the latest issue of Inspire. Read more from the issue here: https://issuu.com/benham/docs/inspire_march_24
