Blackburn Rovers' Ewood Park scores for new businesses

7:13am Sunday 11th May 2008

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A NEW £1million business centre built in the stands of a Premier League football club has welcomed its first tenants.

And one of the first tenants said it was a great boost for small businesses in the town.

The Blackburn Rovers Enterprise Centre is based in the club's Darwen End stand.

Funded by the £24million No Limits project, which is part of the Government's Local Enterprise Growth Initiative, it has room to accomodate 24 businesses.

The aim of No Limits is to slash unemployment and boost morale in deprived areas of Hyndburn, Blackburn with Darwen, Burnley and Pendle by creating up to 13,000 jobs and 4,000 companies over the next decade.

A similar business hub is based at Burnley's Turf Moor and there are plans to locate one at Accrington Stanley's Fraser Eagle Stadium.

The new facilities at Ewood have been built in previously redundant space under the seating area in the Darwen End.

Bare concrete walls and pillars have been replaced with new office space.

Chris Hibbert, 27, and Dan Green, 29, both from Blackburn, have rented one of the first offices in the development for their company Aqualease, which hires out aquariums to other businesses.

The Blackburn Rovers fans set up aquarium sales company, Aquahome, in Leyland over five-years-ago and found that they needed a new space from which to run the rental side.

Chris said: "We are both from Blackburn and we had looked at a few office spaces but we could not find anything that was reasonable priced.

"It's hard to find a space that is the right size for our business and this worked out really well. The fact that we can rent on a month to month basis makes a big difference rather than being tied in to a longer contract."

And centre manager Clare Lloyd claims the stadium location was a major attraction for many businesses.

She said: "It is a big draw being able to use the trading name and address that this location provides. It's easy for people to know where it is."