Dr Bike comes to Hillington

As part of the Keep Scotland Beautiful campaign The Glasgow Bike Station visited Hillington and offered, free of charge, a bicycle servicing service to all occupiers who cycle to work.

The Dr.Bike programme is designed to fix most minor problems on site, with more major problems diagnosed and a bike “MOT” provided.

The initiative is designed to encourage employees to think about their commuting habits and offers the opportunity to adopt a healthier lifestyle and reduce their carbon footprint.

It was a most successful event with 12 cyclists participating.

‘I noticed a big improvement in the performance of the brakes and gears on my ride home. I have pledged to cycle to/from work more frequently so here’s hoping for a dry Autumn!’
Business Centre Occupier.

Business Estate Wins Biodiversity Benchmark

Hillington Park, Scotland's largest business location, has become the first such estate in Britain to be awarded a Biodiversity Benchmark by the Wildlife Trusts. The Benchmark is designed to 'manage, measure and improve environmental performance' in a wide variety of commercially-developed sites.

MEPC, the majority landlord at the historic 75-year-old estate on the Glasgow and Renfrewshire boundary, has in recent years pursued a policy of continuous environmental improvements, which included initiatives that recognised the potential for encouraging local wildlife to thrive at Hillington Park.

Confirming the award, Peter Dorans, Corporate Relations Manager for the Wildlife Trusts, said: "Only a handful of organisations have achieved the standard of site management which meets the requirements of Biodiversity Benchmark.

"The Benchmark is a process which enables any organisation which owns or manages land to assess its impact on the natural world, improve its contribution to the environment and demonstrate its commitment to biodiversity. It is designed to ensure that sites are managed to the highest standard.

"To be the first to achieve it in a sector where there may be more limited opportunities for biodiversity enhancement on such sites further enhances Hillington Park's success. I have informed the chief executive of the Scottish Wildlife Trust of the award."

Dotted around the Hillington Park estate are numerous small ‘green’ sites which have been deliberately used to support various kinds of wildlife activity. Protective nesting boxes for small birds, precious wild orchids conserved, a wetland area allowed to remain, a moth recording project, uncut grassland for over wintering insects and seedpod development for birds are among the initiatives which helped win the award.

MEPC has also enabled local schoolchildren to create a ‘new forest’, with some 30 saplings provided by the Woodland Trust. And, this summer, a new wildflower meadow is being established, to encourage bees and other insects. More such projects are likely to follow.

Grant Edmondson, managing director of MEPC Hillington Park, welcomed the award. "This is a tremendous endorsement of the work which has been led by our customer relations manager Alison Clark.

"I am truly delighted, as no other business park in Britain has previously won such an accolade - although sundry quarries, a nuclear power station, parts of Heathrow Airport and a Center Parcs site have been recognised. It's good to be in their company."

Congratulations have also been received from Chris Palmer, the ecologist who has supported MEPC's efforts at Hillington Park: "This is fantastic! Great news. To be the first site of this kind anywhere in the UK to get the award deserves a genuine reaction of 'Wow'.

"Three of the tit boxes are now occupied by blue tits. And I saw a whitethroat on the south side of Mossland Road - another bird for the Hillington list!"

MEPC have employed local landscape consultant Barrie Scholefield as adviser, while Land Engineering are the landscape gardeners.

Updated Hillington Park Site Now Live

http://www.mepc.com/hillingtonpark/Home.aspx

Our old Hillington Park website has undergone a facelift and content renewal and has now been updated live. All the latest business park information for Glasgow and all our new office availability.

Hillington Park buzzes with life

A recent ecological survey has confirmed that the biodiversity enhancement measures undertaken by MEPC, majority owners at Hillington Park, are already seeing positive results within the Estate. The biodiversity value has moved from "negligible" after the initial survey in 2007 to "moderate and developing" in 2009.

In addition to the £40,000 invested in new sustainable and native planting across nine key areas, major changes to the landscaping maintenance regime have been put in place. Previously all grassed areas were mown regularly but now meadow areas have been allowed to grow enabling already present flowering plants and grasses to flourish and be appreciated by wildlife and workers alike.

In the year to date 37 different species of birds have been recorded by eagle-eyed employees on the Park. There has also been a revised maintenance programme applied to many of the shrub beds and unusual plant species such as Broad Leaved Helleborine, Orchids and Cuckoo Flower have appeared which in turn bring in previously unseen wildlife such as the Orange Tipped Butterfly.

Hillington gets ready to ROCCO!

Six Hillington-based companies have been shortlisted for one or more of the annual ROCCO Awards, presented by Renfrewshire Chamber of Commerce. Among them is MEPC Hillington Park, which has been cited for the ‘Best Environmental Performance’ award.

The nine ‘Oscars’ of the local business world will be handed out at a glittering award ceremony on Friday November 20, and MEPC is also sponsoring the award for the most promising new business.

Nominated companies include Innovation Centre-based NS Design, who have recently won new business that will take their growth for the year to more than 15%. They are hoping to be acclaimed again as the ‘Outstanding Performing Business’ for companies with fewer than 25 employees, which they won in 2008, and are also cited for the ‘Excellence in Customer Services’ award.

Other Hillington companies nominated in the various categories include Haven Products, Tradeforms, Alpha Analytical and Future Environmental Services.

Chamber President Tom Johnston said: "We have been overwhelmed by the interest in the ROCCO Awards this year. We know we are facing challenging economic conditions, but it is fantastic to see local companies, large and small, buck the trend and continue to expand.

"The ROCCOs have grown in popularity over the years, and the Awards Dinner is now the business event of the year."

Keep Scotland Beautiful

In pursuit of the Keep Scotland Beautiful –Tidy Business Standards Award the MEPC Hillington Park team spent a recent (and dry!) lunchtime doing a litter pick on the approach road from Hillington Park to Arkleston Cemetery.

In less than an hour and along a 100 meter stretch of path, the team collected eight bags of rubbish and some rather unusual items such as a bed frame, a bicycle, car bumpers and a set of venetian blinds!

BT Reveals Plans For First Fibre Optic Broadband Rollout

BT has revealed new information about the roll-out of its £1.5bn programme to deploy super fast fibre optic (Fibre to the Premise/Cabinet, FTTP/C) broadband to as many as 10 million UK homes (40%) by 2012. Scotland will become one of the first places to benefit from early next year, with more than 34,000 homes and businesses in Edinburgh and Glasgow receiving speeds of up to 40Mbps and potentially 60Mbps.

Openreach will be making fibre based services available to more than 30,000 homes and businesses from exchanges serving the areas around Glasgow University and the arts galleries and in the Hillington Park business park and industrial estate development here in Glasgow

Hillington Park Innovation Centre

After 9 years of success, Hillington Park Innovation Centre is proud to present several of it's former client sharing their successes and experiences since leaving the centre. This seminar will also focus on what have been critical points in helping them grow and overcome particular issues facing young, innovative technology companies.

Hillington Park - Business Park and Industrial Estate in Glasgow

To register your attendance at this event please email forums@innovationcentre.org

Hillington Newsletter

Get your copy of the latest Hillington Herald February 09
All our latest business park and industrial estate info.

Hillington Park company is ‘Outstanding Business’

Hillington Park-based NSDesign has scooped a top prize at this year’s Renfrewshire Chamber of Commerce awards, named as the ‘Outstanding Business in Renfrewshire’ (with under 25 people) at the ROCCO awards.

The e-commerce and design solutions firm, which is located at the Hillington Park Innovation Centre, has enjoyed one of its busiest years to date.

Managing Director Gary Ennis said: "We are absolutely over the moon to have won this award – it really means the world to the entire team. We were delighted to have even been nominated and short-listed against such other good companies, but to pick up the award is really important to us.

"We are also in the running for another award, as we have been named as a finalist in the Scottish Software Awards, so we are hoping that we can continue our winning streak."

A spokesman from the awards judging panel said: "The judges were very impressed by NSDesign’s enthusiasm and approach of being a ‘people company that delivers technology’. The company growth is impressive, as are the levels of customer satisfaction. Well done!"

NS Design beat their landlords MEPC and Sporty Kids to the prestigious honour, but Grant Edmondson, managing director of MEPC Hillington Park, was just as pleased.

"We congratulate NS Design on their award, which is particularly gratifying to MEPC as this is the latest of many small companies successfully incubated at our leading edge Innovation Centre at Hillington Park."

NSDesign provides internet solutions with a wide range of web design, domain registration and hosting products for its customers, who include Greenock Morton FC, The Lighthouse (Scotland's Centre for Architecture and Design) and Highland Spring.

Gary Ennis added: "We may be a small company with fewer than ten members of staff, but we provide internet services to thousands of clients. These include government bodies, universities, public and private sector institutions, small-to-medium sized businesses and personal clients.

"We are a growing company and our customer care is unrivalled, which is why over half of all our new business comes direct from customer referrals. Winning this award has just cemented our reputation further."

For further information on NSDesign visit the website www.nsdesign.co.uk.

Under-11 Ambassadors for MEPC

Hillington Youth Club’s U11 football team are now ambassadors for MEPC Hillington Park, the majority landlord and developer of Scotland’s largest business location.

This follows a £1,300 sponsorship by MEPC for the club, which is currently leading its league, under the captaincy of centre-midfielder Kyle Harte.

MEPC’s sponsorship was marked last week by the handing over of a newly-branded team kit, with the company’s customer manager Alison Clark in attendance.

The Hillington Park U11 team proudly wore their new all-weather jackets and track suits at their first game, which they won 6-2 against local rivals Mosspark, before lining up for the obligatory team photograph - in pouring rain - at one of the directory boards at the Hillington Park estate.

Club manager Mark Scott said: "We are delighted by the support which we have received from MEPC, which makes us all thrilled and determined to pay back with success on the field."

Alison Clark said: "Hillington Park means a lot to local people, as there are currently over 7,000 jobs based here. As part of our investment in the local community, we’re delighted to support grass roots sports that get youngsters involved."

Charity works at Hillington Industrial & Business Park

Office workers and others at Hillington Park have responded generously to several recent charitable initiatives by MEPC at Scotland’s largest business location.

They have proved that the spirit of Christmas is still alive and well, and prepared to be counted, as the workforce has helped towards the following good causes:

Locally-based Blythswood Care’s annual Shoebox Appeal has been given a boost by publicity given in the latest edition of MEPC’s Hillington Herald newspaper, which has resulted in additional contributions from individuals and companies at the estate - including around two dozen shoeboxes from staff at Merlin House and The Hub at Hillington Park.

For the first time, the entire stock of shoeboxes, packed with useful day-to-day items, which have been collected at Hillington Park will be sent to charitable distributors in India.

Already, with three weeks still to run, some 16,000 shoeboxes have been donated by Scots, enough to fill two large containers which will be heading for the sub-continent in time for Christmas.

In other initiatives, the ‘Vision Aid Overseas’ project initiated by Vision Express has been supported, with more than 40 people at Merlin House, the Hillington Park Innovation Centre and The Hub donating unwanted pairs of spectacles for re-use in other countries.

And Sightsavers International have benefited from the proceeds of a secondhand book sale on World Sight Day in October, when a total of £70 of books were sold.

Alison Clark, MEPC’s customer manager at Hillington Park, said: "These have been valuable community initiatives, and we were pleased to have participated at this time of the year."

The Arc - Office Development Glasgow

The Arc’s distinctive curved design will make it an innovative and iconic property within Hillington Park. Set in an attractive landscaped environment, the open location of this stylish terrace will afford generous amounts of natural light to the front and rear of each office unit.


Specification:

Each office benefits from the following:
• Glazed entrance lobby
• Dedicated male, female and
disabled person WCs
• Metal raised access floors
• Suspended tiled ceiling system with recessed
LG7 compliant lighting
• Double-glazing throughout
• Full barrier-free access provision
• Cycle shelters
• Gas-fired central heating system
• BREEAM ‘very good’ rating
• Dual flush energy efficient toilets
• PIR light switching

HILLINGTON PARK IN LINE FOR AWARD

Hillington Park, Scotland's largest business location and home to over 350 enterprises, has been transformed over the past ten years, as anyone who has visited the estate recently will testify.

Now the Renfrewshire Chamber of Commerce has shortlisted the company responsible for leading the improvements, MEPC Hillington Park, for one of its annual 'ROCCO' awards, the 'Oscars' of the local business community.

MEPC Hillington Park is one of three potential winners of the ROCCO Award for 'Outstanding Performing Business in Renfrewshire with fewer than 25 full-time employees'.
The shortlist for the award, sponsored by Rock Radio, also lists one of the residents of the Hillington Park Innovation Centre, which has won wide-ranging praise for its own innovative structure and successful business model.

MEPC Hillington Park has itself sponsored one of the other awards. With its emphasis on sustainability and environmental best practice, the principal developers and operators of the majority of the estate sponsors the Renfrewshire Chamber's 'Best Environmental Performance' award.

Grant Edmondson, chief executive of MEPC Hillington Park, said: "We have had a very successful period at Hillington Park, as our development programme has enabled us to out-perform the market.

"We would be even more pleased if we ourselves were to win the Outstanding Performance Business award, which we would regard as the pinnacle of recognition."

Hillington Park Business Park and Industrial Estate Glasgow

Hillington Herald - NEW ISSUE!

Take a look at the latest Hillington Park, Glasgows newsletter.
Click for all the latests on the business park and industrial estate Glasgow.

Research finds Scottish office market holding up well

GVA Grimley research finds Scottish office market holding up well

New research from property adviser GVA Grimley suggests that the demand for office space in Scotland continues to be strong, despite the current economic downturn.

The firm's latest Market Report Scotland suggests the office market in Aberdeen is outperforming those in Edinburgh and Glasgow. However, market confidence in the capital has been enhanced by recent deals, including that which saw Morton Fraser take 40,000 sq ft of space at Quartermile, while development activity in Glasgow remains high.

For the full story visit here: http://www.propertyexecutive.co.uk/news.php

Hillington Park MD’s marathon success

Grant Edmondson, managing director of MEPC Hillington Park, recently completed his first marathon in Copenhagen to raise funds for Endometriosis UK, a charity which helps those affected by endometriosis, the chronic and debilitating disease affecting two million women in the UK.

Grant set himself the challenge at the start of the year to improve his own fitness and realise a long-held ambition of running a marathon. He chose to raise sponsorship in aid of Endometriosis UK as his wife suffers from the disease. As well as raising general awareness of the disease through his contacts in the business community, Grant has raised over £5,400 for the charity.

His finishing time was 3.11.42.

“I’m really pleased with how both the race and the fundraising went,” said Grant. “It just shows that if you put in the hard work early on, it makes the challenge more enjoyable and rewarding. People were incredibly generous in their support. I’m now looking forward my next marathon!”

ARC OF CONFIDENCE FOR HILLINGTON PARK OFFICES

A distinctive development of seven office suites is currently under construction on a speculative basis at Hillington Park, demonstrating a rare confidence in the market at this particular time.

The Arc, a £4 million development by MEPC, the majority landowners at Scotland’s largest business location to the west of Glasgow, is a curved terrace of single-storey office accommodation, ranging from 226 square metres (2,433 square feet) to 352 sq m (3,789 sq ft).

The scheme was designed to take advantage of a unique semi-circular site on the east side of Hillington Park, and is expected to appeal to small to medium-sized businesses seeking high-quality, good-value, out-of-town accommodation. Indicative rental costs are likely to be in the range of £16 per sq ft per annum.

Grant Edmondson, managing director of MEPC Hillington Park, said: "Even though there are signs that the office market is cooling, MEPC are ploughing ahead with this speculative office scheme since we have very little stock available. We are committed to providing office space of a price and quality at the Park which the occupier market demands."

The development is located in what is becoming an established office area of the estate: adjacent to Centura Court which is home to Ceridian, British Red Cross and Fujitsu, and close to the Hillington Park Innovation Centre and the Lumina building, which was let to Balfour Kilpatrick early this year.

The Arc will be built to a high sustainable specification and has achieved a ‘Very Good’ BREEAM rating. Unusually, the accommodation is at ground floor only, offering a single, space-efficient floorplate. Each office will enable occupiers’ full control over their premises, with dedicated main door entry and reception, together with the ability to erect their own external corporate signage.

Mr Edmondson also revealed that MEPC has successfully let an office suite on the ground floor of The Hub, which also houses MEPC’s own estate office. OLM Group Ltd have graduated from the Hillington Park Innovation Centre, taking 278 sq m (2,992 sq ft) on a five-year lease, at a rent of £15.50 per sq ft. The remaining space on the first floor of the prominent building in Earl Haig Road, opposite the Retail Centre, is also under offer.

At the same time, Online Media Branding Ltd (trading as 360 Innovate), are relocating from the east end of Glasgow into nearby Cameron Court, Cameron Street, where they will occupy an office suite of 361sq m (3,893sq ft) at a rent of £10.00 per sq ft on a 10-year lease.

"We are always pleased when a company that has been incubated at Scotland’s leading-edge Innovation Centre decides to remain at Hillington," said Mr Edmondson. "It demonstrates our long-held experience that by providing the right range of accommodation and a flexible customer-focused approach, MEPC can retain growing businesses at Hillington Park over the long term."

The letting agents on Hillington Park offices are Ryden and Cushman & Wakefield.

Hillington Park joins the social network revolution

Hillington Park sets up a facebook page. Hopefully this will develop over the coming months to provide a resource of information for what’s happening on the business park here in Glasgow

Click to view our page

Offices and Industrial Units To Let/Rent Glasgow

Hillington Park Glasgow currently has a number of offices to let and industrial units to let on the business park/ Industrial estate. If you would like to see what office and industrial space we currently have available then click on the links below:


• Offices To Let/ Rent Glasgow
• HeadOffice/ Headquarter Buildings To Let/ Rent Glasgow
• Warehouse/ Industrial Units To Let/ Rent Glasgow