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Work has begun on a new £1.5m business centre with a top level environmental rating in Ludlow.
The Enterprise Centre has been designed to provide sustainable workspaces for up to 21 businesses, with the potential to create almost 100 jobs.
Cllr Lee Chapman, deputy leader and economic portfolio holder of South Shropshire District Council, got the work underway by performing a groundbreaking ceremony at the site on Ludlow Eco Park, part of the £16m Rural Regeneration Zone (RRZ) project.
The Enterprise Centre has been designed to achieve a rating of 'Excellent' under the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM).
The RRZ project has been created to develop a strategic network of eight centres to support entrepreneurs and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across Shropshire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire. The Ludlow Enterprise Centre will provide 18 offices and three workshops.
Cllr Chapman said: "It is important for new businesses to start off on the right foot and to be provided with the choice of sustainable workspaces from which they can develop. This Rural Enterprise Centre is an important development for Ludlow and will offer our small business community a wonderful opportunity for growth within an outstanding environment."
Work on site has started and it is anticipated the new centre, being built by contractor SJ Roberts Construction Ltd, will be open September 2008. During the construction phase it is estimated that up to 26 people will be employed on site at any one time.
(CD/JM)
