Strathclyde Business Park is the first business park to benefit from Enhanced Technology Network

Project ATLAS Helps Remove Major Barrier to SME Growth

Strathclyde Business Park is to benefit from a new pilot project to upgrade the technology infrastructure for Scottish businesses.

Project ATLAS, a strategic investment that will enable businesses across Scotland to access new advanced broadband and telecom services through an optical fibre network, will be launched at Strathclyde Business Park this month.

This high quality telecommunications infrastructure will improve access to affordable, advanced broadband telecoms services, assisting businesses by accelerating growth, improving profitability, enhancing business operations and driving efficiency, and, ultimately, helping establish Scotland as a world-class e-business environment.

Project ATLAS is funded by Scottish Enterprise in partnership with the European Union, meaning that businesses within Strathclyde Business Park – a joint venture between HF Developments and AWG Property Limited – will benefit from the improved technology without added expenditure to them.

William Hill, managing director of joint venture partner HF Developments, said: “The fact that Strathclyde Business Park was chosen for this pilot demonstrates its on-going success and further enhances a high quality product in what is a proven business park location. The main advantages of ATLAS to businesses in the park are that they will have access to affordable, faster and more innovative broadband and telecom services.

“The park has already proven to be a major attraction to major employers seeking top quality office accommodation to the highest specifications. We hope that the addition of Project Atlas, offering access to an innovative telecoms network, will further strengthen the attraction of Strathclyde Business Park to new tenants.”

Leading commercial property consultancy Lambert Smith Hampton recently published the results of research looking at the criteria companies use to determine the suitability of locations for their businesses. The ‘Location Drivers’ report was based on a comparative study of 35 centres across the UK, each with a population of more than 250,000.

Stephen Kelly, director of joint venture partner AWG Property, said: “The research showed that the availability of broadband and connectivity is of crucial importance in an increasingly competitive UK market, and we believe this will give existing and future occupiers a unique edge and will be a major draw for new companies to the Park.

“The accessibility of a world-class infrastructure is yet another reason why so many companies will continue to move from city centre locations to Strathclyde Business Park. We have excellent facilities here, an enviable environment and our location places us in a great position for Glasgow and Edinburgh, with all the benefits and none of the hassles associated with a city centre location.”

Project ATLAS will initially be launched at six locations across Scotland, although Strathclyde Business Park will be the only business park to benefit. Other pilot sites are:

• Aberdeen Science and Technology Park, Aberdeen
• Crichton Campus, Dumfries
• Dundee Technology Park, Dundee
• Heriot-Watt Research Park, Riccarton, West Lothian
• West of Scotland Science Park, Glasgow

According to the Scottish Federation of Small Businesses, the cost of online time is the biggest issue facing small and medium-sized firms at the moment. ATLAS aims to drive down that cost and it will not only benefit individual companies, but stimulate business growth.

Liz Connolly, Chief Executive of Scottish Enterprise Lanarkshire, said: “This project is likely to play a key role in increasing growth and profitability for the businesses in Lanarkshire, based at Strathclyde Business Park. This is already an extremely attractive site with some very successful businesses based there. These latest improvements should help to make this an even more attractive Lanarkshire site where major businesses will want to locate.”

End-users of ATLAS will benefit from high bandwidth (two to 20Mbit/s) and symmetrical bandwidth (upstream and downstream at the same speed). Reliability will also be high and will allow users access new online based applications, such as videoconferencing, IP telephony, Net TV, live video streaming, web hosting and financial transactions such as point-of-sale, inventory control and credit verification.

Notes to Editors:

Strathclyde Business Park, a joint venture between HF Developments and AWG Property Limited, is well established as one of Scotland's most successful business locations. Situated in 155 acres of countryside near Bellshill, Lanarkshire, Strathclyde Business Park is a sympathetic development of over 1.3 million square feet of business and lifestyle space.

As a Central Belt location, it is second to none. Located just off the A725, it is perfectly positioned between the M74 and M8. Within 30 minutes of Glasgow and Edinburgh and their airports, and an hour from Stirling and Perth, access couldn't be simpler.