The Hub at the South Lincolnshire Food Enterprise Zone (FEZ) has won the ‘Development Project of the Year’ in the Greater Lincolnshire Construction and Property Awards.
The build was a Lincolnshire County Council project to meet the need for office and workshop innovation space for smaller businesses at the FEZ development. The council also now manage the building, which is rapidly filling up with tenants.
Cllr Colin Davie, executive councillor for economy and place at the county council, said:
“The Hub is a great example of a collaborative space where businesses looking to start up or expand can benefit from the whole Food Enterprise Zone site. This includes the expertise of other businesses in the agri-tech sector and the fantastic research and development facilities at the University of Lincoln’s National Centre for Food Manufacturing - right next door.
“We’re incredibly proud of developing this building with our partners and know it will make a real difference to the local economy, as well as individual businesses.”
The unique collaborative space which opened in 2022, designed by Core Architects and funded by Lincolnshire County Council and the Government’s Getting Building Fund via the Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership, won in its price category at the awards on 2 February 2023.
Sarah Louise Fairburn, Deputy Chair of the Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership and Chair of the LEP’s Food Board, said: “The Hub at the South Lincolnshire FEZ is an exciting development providing new connections and support for SME businesses in the agri-food tech sector, helping them to grow, innovate and collaborate.
“It’s an extremely important facility for the UK food Valley and the LEP is proud to have contributed £5m to enable its construction.”
Emily King from Core Architects, said: 'We are delighted to win this award from the Chamber of Commerce. Core have worked closely with Lincolnshire County Council and the design team to deliver the Hub building at the South Lincolnshire Food Enterprise Zone.
The Hub forms the gateway to the FEZ, providing state-of-the-art ‘start-up’ office accommodation and workshop space for SMEs within the agri-food industry. Multi-functional and flexible spaces will help to nurture innovation, providing a catalyst for growth and future investment.'
Tim Owen, Senior Project Manager at R G Carter, said: “R G Carter is delighted that The Hub has won this prestigious regional award. It has been an exciting and innovative project where collaborative working has enabled us to help create this inspiring environment for the Agricultural -Tech industry to thrive. It is an honour for everyone involved to be recognised by this award.”
The Greater Lincolnshire Construction and Property Awards are run by the Lincolnshire Chamber of Commerce.
For more information about The Hub and the South Lincolnshire Food Enterprise Zone, visit www.southlincolnshirefez.co.uk