ENTREPRENEURS and people running small businesses will have a new place to set up shop in Worcester.

The city council’s planning committee was unanimous in its approval of a development of 14 new starter units which will create a hub for small, light industrial businesses in Lower Wick.

At a time when the country’s economy is stalling, Lansdowne Rodway has been given the green light to spend £800,000 on developing the starter units at what is being called the New Venture Enterprise Centre based at Venture Business Park in Weir Lane.

Councillor Marc Bayliss, cabinet member for economic prosperity, said he was delighted the scheme had been approved but added that he hoped the company will offer leases with ‘easy in and out’ terms, as previously suggested by the company in a previous report in your Worcester News.

“That will allow sucessful businesses to move to bigger premises because that can definitely be a constraint on them growing,” he said.

The development will have two larger units – about 1,450sq ft – at either end of the ‘warehouse’ that will sandwich 10 smaller units – about 700sq ft – and will contain small toilet and kitchen facilities. Councillor Aubrey Tarbuck said: “Entrepreneurs don’t want anything that’s too big so this absolutely fits the bill.”

The building will be made out of grey/silver steel profile cladding with alternating green and yellow-coloured shutters.

There will be 33 car parking spaces, including eight disabled, and internal bicycle storage. It should take about 26 weeks for the development to be completed and for Lansdowne Rodway to let the first unit.