Good Growth Programme backs £1.2m business park expansion

A popular Cornish retail and industrial park which has become a magnet for local businesses is set to expand thanks to a £600,000 investment from the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Good Growth Programme, which is managed by Cornwall Council and funded by the Government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

Chenoweth’s Business Park near Ruan High Lanes on the Roseland Peninsula is undergoing a £1.2m expansion that will see the creation of eight new net zero commercial units, supporting up to 50 local jobs.

The current business park is already home to a diverse range of businesses including a delicatessen, artisan bakery, Italian restaurant, jeweller, holiday cottage business, art gallery and beauty boutique.

The expansion is aimed at creating a mix of office space that can support a range of local businesses and start-ups as part of a rural business hub, and there is already strong interest in the new units. The aim is that some of these will be arts and creative businesses to complement those already on site, and to create more of a destination for the local and visitor communities.

The park was established by serial entrepreneur and former Royal Marine Julian Chenoweth, whose family has been synonymous with The Roseland for more than 100 years. Julian provides informal mentoring support to start-ups and entrepreneurs on the business park and has extensive business experience spanning building supplies and waste management to eco-engineering.

Julian said: “As a community business we want to create more high quality and affordable workspace for local businesses and entrepreneurs so that there are more job opportunities and facilities in the rural peninsula of The Roseland. We estimate the new units could support up to 50 local jobs and they are designed to be carbon net zero, with ground source heat pumps, solar panels and secondary aggregates.

“We’ll also have charging points for electric vehicles, which tend to be in short supply in rural areas. We plan to be a Real Living Wage site, with all tenants committed to decent pay, and will use local contractors during the 12-month build. Good Growth investment has been vital to getting this project off the ground and we’re very grateful for the support.”

Cllr Louis Gardner, Cornwall Council portfolio holder for economy, said: “This extension to Chenoweth’s Business Park will meet known demand on The Roseland for high quality, affordable workspace for small businesses and will support local employment, which is why we are supporting it. The commitment to the Real Living Wage and low carbon development are hallmarks of the Council’s Good Growth programme and we are delighted to be enabling this project, which is being match-funded by the business.”

The Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Good Growth Programme is a £137m local investment fund managed by Cornwall Council and funded by the Government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund. Support for local businesses is a key plank of the investment programme, increasing trade and investment while inspiring green and socially responsible enterprise.