Rural business hub aids agricultural economy
MIDAS Construction and the Royal Agricultural University are celebrating the completion of a new building that will support both local and agritech businesses.
Work is now complete on the new £4.2 million Alliston Centre which is based at the RAU’s Cirencester campus.
The Midas site team, the University and project partners were thrilled to see the centre begin operation this summer.
The new building houses two initiatives which will provide vital support for a range of businesses.
Farm491 occupies one floor. This is the RAU’s expanding agritech innovation and incubation hub, which also has bases at existing RAU sites at Trent Lodge and Harnhill.
The other floor is home to the Cirencester Growth Hub, an initiative that will help boost the county’s economy by assisting local business to accelerate growth, create new jobs and achieve their potential.
Thecentre was designed by Bathbased SRA Architects and features traditional stone and wood materials found in the Cotswolds area, which blends in with the aesthetic of the existing historic university campus.
Midas Construction also installed hard landscaping, cycle storage and car parking alongside the building.
Derek Quinn, executive director for Midas Construction, part of the Midas Group, said: “This has been an exciting scheme for us to be part of and one where we have been very aware of the importance of the project for the University and the wider opportunities for growth of the local economy.
“The intention for the centre was to create an inspirational environment for the businesses which will use it and we are very proud to have delivered a wonderful building which meets these aspirations.”
Professor Joanna Price, ViceChancellor of the Royal Agricultural University, said: “Entrepreneurship and innovation are at the heart of the RAU.
“From working with students to develop their business ideas, to delivering large-scale transformational projects such as the Alliston Centre, our mission is to enhance both the regional economy and the health of the industries we serve nationwide.
“Bringing together agritech innovators and regional businesses under one roof is such an exciting project, and one we couldn’t have achieved without our partnership with GFirst LEP and by working with the University of Gloucestershire, which has already developed a successful Growth Hub.”
David Owen, CEO, GFirst LEP, said: “The original Growth Hub in Longlevens, Gloucester, in partnership with the University of Gloucestershire, opened its doors in 2014 and has worked with more tjan 2,000 businesses since then. To now see the first of these new Hubs open its doors, in a brand new building that has the wow factor both inside and out, makes me very proud.”