Halton Borough Council

Key Competitive Attractions

Situated between the conurbations of Liverpool and Manchester, Halton has direct access to five-million people within a twenty-five mile radius, and can offer an impressive choice of land and premises within the M62 and M56 motorway corridors.

Halton is within easy reach of Liverpool John Lennon and Manchester International Airports, and the Port of Liverpool. It is also served by the West Coast Mainline railway and Trans-pennine high-speed rail links.

The area offers an a highly skilled, productive, adaptable and committed workforce, fully supported by customised education and training facilities.

For choice and availability of affordable, quality sites and premises in prime locations, Runcorn and Widnes are hard to match. Within the borough, there are sixteen major industrial areas and three principal retail areas. Industrial premises range from small starter units through to freehold premises in excess of 100,000 ft squ. Similarly, the choice of offices extends from small, managed spaces through to prestigious developments accommodating over a thousand staff on a single site.

Key attractions:

• Halton is within a 15-minute drive of one million inhabitants
• 60% of UK industry is within a two-hour drive
• Abundant space for business expansion with prime sites along the M62 and M56 corridors - all with easy access to Manchester and Liverpool airports
• Excellent transport communications
• Access to hundreds of thousands of potential employees
• Within an hour of North Wales and the Lake District
• 30-40 minutes from the cultural, retail and leisure hubs of Liverpool and Manchester

Assistance and Support For New Business Investors

The Council's Business Development Team are the interface between the Halton Borough Council and the business community, with regard to a broad range of business support services.

The Team manages approximately 300 investment enquiries each year, both from companies already based in the borough who are seeking to expand, and from companies wishing to move into the borough. The service is unique to the requirements of each company and can provide advice and guidance on available grants, development and planning issues, transportation issues and recruitment.

The Team act as a single point of contact, helping companies to access the help and assistance provided by other council departments and a range of external agencies.

The Council maintains a database, which details all office, industrial and retail units and development land currently marketed by numerous commercial property agents in Halton. The Team will undertake a free bespoke search to satisfy individual commercial property requirements of any company based in the borough, or wishing to move to Halton.

Existing Business Base

Halton has long been renowned as a centre of excellence for the chemical industry, but other major sectors also power the economy, including food and drink, pharmaceuticals, clothing, metal engineering, distribution, telecommunications and financial services.

Key sectors:

• Chemicals
• Professional Services
• Logistics
• Construction
• Information and communications technology
• Pharmaceuticals

Leading global employers in Halton include O2 (telecommunications), Ineos Chlorvinyls and Ineos Fluor (chemicals), Atos Origin (IT provider), Fresenius Kabi (healthcare), TEVA Pharmaceuticals, Stobarts (Logistics) and Evolution Studios (Sony) (gaming software).