New business workspace has been unveiled after land at the gateway of a coastal town was transformed.
A six-year project to provide affordable workspace, encourage new business into Southwold and increase footfall has been completed.
It has seen a redundant space on the corner of Station Road and Blyth Road - the gateway to Southwold - turned into a shared business development for long and short-term tenants, co-workers and those needing meeting room access.
The project - which has been six years in the making - saw construction of the state-of-the-art facility, known as The Hub, start in November 2022.
A large two-block development has been built as part of a scheme spearheaded by Southwold Town Council, supported by partners East Suffolk Council and made possible with funding from The Coastal Communities Fund and Suffolk Growth.
The town council is working with business support and training provider MENTA, who are now facilitating the running of The Hub, which opened this week.
Carl Woodard, site manager for Needham Market-based Mixbrow Construction, who carried out the building contract, said: "We started off with a blank canvas, standing on a patch of rubble and now we have handed over a nice facility to the town.
“It will bring a bit of diversity to Southwold.
"There’s a broad spectrum of businesses at MENTA’s other sites, so there’s scoop to make Southwold even more vibrant."
With the contemporary design work carried out by Norwich-based construction consultants, Richard Utting Associates, Jason Wells said the modern design was a far cry from the original old repair garage with 12 petrol tanks.
“Looking at it now, I feel inspired," he said.
With The Hub providing a mixture of business units, open working areas, a kitchen, reception and an outdoor seating area, a flat and shop - which are part of the front building - are both available for rent.
'We can’t wait to see it flourish'
Andy Jarvis, strategic director at East Suffolk Council, said: "Southwold is a holiday town, it’s really famous and lots of people come here, but it’s also a base for creative people to come and work, for small businesses to grow and develop.
"I think that’s important.
"The Hub adds to the diversity and sustainability of the town - that’s the key thing I think."
Simon Flunder, mayor of Southwold, said: "At the outset I think that people were concerned about how The Hub would look, but I think everyone can now see how well it complements the landscape and the town as a whole.
"It's very well finished, well laid out and we can’t wait to see it flourish.
"We want to give access to as many people as possible to be able to work and live in our town."
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