Willmott Dixon has been appointed to deliver a new £8 million business centre and innovation hub for East Riding of Yorkshire Council.

The centre will offer flexible office and workshop space for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) on the Goole 36 Enterprise Zone.

The Rail, accelerator and innovation solutions hub for Enterprise (RaisE), will provide 3,200 square metres of commercial floor space made up of grade-A office and workshop accommodation, much-needed high quality conferencing facilities, and a welcoming communal café hub that will act as a focal point for the business park.

Procured using the YORbuild2 framework, this phase one of RaisE is being delivered with East Riding Infrastructure & Facilities and is set for completion in early 2022. The project has secured £1.5m from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and £1m from the Getting Building Fund, via the Hull and East Riding Local Enterprise Partnership (HEY LEP), to help finance the project.


Phase two is also on the same site and will see a £50m centre of excellence for rail and research and innovation developed between Siemens Mobility and the University of Birmingham..

In conjunction with the £200m Siemens Mobility manufacturing facility which is currently under construction, this partnership between industry, academia and the public sector will help create a ‘Rail Village’ concept that will attract further added value activity from the wider supply chain.

Paul Bell, Head of economic development and communications at East Riding of Yorkshire Council: "The council is absolutely delighted to see building work on this business centre and innovation hub start. We know that, once completed, it will stand proudly alongside Siemens Mobility’s soon-to-be-built, state-of-the-art rail manufacturing facility, and will be another glowing example of how Goole is viewed as a flourishing economic area for investment and growth.

"We also welcome our partnership with Siemens Mobility and The University of Birmingham who, along with industry partners such as The UK Rail Research & Innovation Network (UKRRIN) and The Rail Alliance, are excited by Goole’s potential and our shared 'Rail Village' vision."