Royal seal for green business park

The Duke of Gloucester, a corporate member of the Royal Institute of British Architects, will meet members of the Newlands Community Association (NCA), who own and manage the business park as well as community groups and small businesses that are using the new £4m facility, when he visits on October 23.

Inspire welcomed its first tenants in May and is now 75 per cent let with businesses from children’s services and IT software to organic food delivery and a space education facility taking office space.

The facility was rated ‘excellent’ by BREEAM, an international standard for best practice in sustainable building design, construction and operation.

It is situated on a brownfield site in the east of Bradford, with two buildings housing 18 serviced offices in an enterprise centre and 14 managed work units, in an adjacent building. External walls are built from a one-metre thick straw-bale frame and the building’s insulation is recycled from industrial waste denim and old pairs of jeans.

Vanity units in the toilet blocks are manufactured from recycled yoghurt pots and plastic bottles and the Enterprise Centre’s flooring is recycled.

Tony Holdich, NCA chief executive, said: “We are thrilled the Duke of Gloucester has shown an interest in Inspire Bradford and are looking forward to welcoming him to the development and showing him the facility that has been created and the many benefits it is already bringing to the community and local business.”