Reasons to invest

Invest in Kirklees

Looking for your next investment?

Here’s why you should chose Kirklees.

Perfectly Placed

Kirklees is at the heart of the UK’s Northern Powerhouse, with excellent transport links: 

 

  • At the centre of the Leeds, Manchester and Sheffield City Regions  
  • Easy access to the M1, M62 and all the north’s major cities, airports and ports 
  • Just 2½ hours away from London Kings Cross 
  • Direct trains to Manchester Airport give access to over 210 destinations worldwide 
  • A major beneficiary from Network Rail’s multibillion-pound Transpennine Route Upgrade supporting faster, more frequent trains 

Thriving businesses

Kirklees is part of the largest regional economy outside London contributing £8.35bn to the UK economy: 

  • Home to over 15,000 businesses and 203,000 jobs 
  • Sector specialisms in advanced manufacturing, precision engineering, textiles, health and wellbeing, and creative and digital industries 
  • Worldwide reputation for technical and scientific capabilities in metrology, textiles, precision engineering and the digitalisation of manufacturing 
  • The largest concentration of high-value manufacturing in the UK – employing 24,000 people, more than twice the national average. 

Low cost, high value

Being so close to many major cities, we offer highly competitive commercial property and operating costs.  There are also over 7million people within an hour’s travel, providing millions of customers, suppliers, and employees right on your doorstep: 

 

  • Grade A office space at around £14 per square foot, compared to £30 per square foot in Leeds city centre and £37 per square ft in Manchester 
  • Industrial property cost savings (prime rents) of up to 15% are available versus key competitor advanced manufacturing locations 
  • Diverse range of attractive and affordable residential property options

A skilled and confident workforce

Kirklees is part of the largest higher education cluster outside of London.  Nine universities (including the University of Huddersfield) produce world-class research, and nearly 40,000 skilled graduates every year providing a ready-made talent pool of dynamic, rounded and digitally skilled individuals.  

 

Huddersfield New College is rated Outstanding by Ofsted.  Greenhead College is one of the top-ten performing sixth form colleges in the UK.  And Kirklees College has 18,000 students, links to 1,000 businesses, and is ranked in the top ten in England for apprenticeships. 

Gigabit connectivity

Kirklees one of the best-connected districts in the UK£70million has been invested in a new generation of affordable gigabit-speed internet services, offering speeds up to 100 times faster than the UK national average and unlocking a host of productivity benefits to businesses. 

Innovation

World-class academic centres of excellence at the University of Huddersfield sit alongside leading business-facing innovation and training assets which can directly support your industry needs.  This includes the Textiles Centre of Excellence, the University’s 3M Buckley Innovation Centre, the National Physics Laboratory and the Kirklees College Process Manufacturing Centre. 

 

With development due to commence on the University of Huddersfield’s £250m National Health Innovation Campus, Kirklees is also fast becoming a destination at the forefront of innovation in healthcare, pharmaceuticals and medical technologies for the North of England.  

A great place to live and work

An impressive cultural, industrial and sporting heritage.  Affordable high-quality homes, and a comprehensive gigabit fibre network.  Outstanding countryside, with close connections to major cities. 

 

All this means Kirklees offers a great quality of life in a vibrant and varied district. 

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