Business and cultural regeneration that is breathing new life into Hull

HULL has been called a “gateway to Europe” but as with most gateways people tend to pass through them, rather than stay there.

For many years the city was derided, the perception being that it was a good place to drive through but an even better one to avoid. But these mocking voices have been conspicuous by their absence in recent times as Hull has been making headlines for all the right reasons.

In November, it was named the UK’s next City of Culture for 2017, beating off competition from Dundee, Leicester and Swansea Bay. The decision was hailed as “a real game-changer” by Hull Council leader Stephen Brady, who said it gave the city a platform to show the world what it had to offer.

It was the continuation of a cultural renaissance that has steadily been growing since the Millennium. The Deep, the world’s only submarium, and the development of the nearby marina have transformed the waterfront, while the Clipper Round The World Yacht Race, which started and finished in Hull, raised the city’s global profile back in 2009.

The regeneration of Humber Street, the historic former home of Hull’s Fruit Market, which has seen empty old warehouses transformed into a thriving arts community embodies a new found confidence breathing through the city. So, too, does the Freedom Festival, which marks the city’s links with anti-slavery campaigner William Wilberforce, and last year pulled in record crowds of more than 80,000.

Even the city’s football team, so often the poor relation to its Yorkshire rivals, is back in the Premier League and helping to boost the feelgood factor.

This cultural regeneration has coincided with a surge in new business opportunities as the Humber looks set to lead the country in the development of offshore wind. In December came the big announcement that a wind turbine factory on the south bank of the Humber Estuary had been approved by the government, with developer Able UK saying its £450m marine energy park at North Killingholme would create 4,000 local jobs.

It came as a huge shot in the arm for the region and builds on Siemens plans to create a flagship £210m wind turbine factory at Hull’s docks which would create more than 700 jobs and potentially support thousands more.

On top of this councillors have given the go-ahead for the £14m Centre for Digital Innovation, opposite the Deep, which will provide a home for start-up digital design firms as well as established companies.

Business networks like Bondholders have helped raise the profile of Hull and the Humber region which is starting to pay dividends.

“There’s a general feeling of optimism,” says David Hooper, from Hull and Humber Chamber of Commerce. “We’ve still got a big unemployment problem in Hull but things are on the up and the Able Marine Energy Park announcement was a big boost.”

It’s hoped, too, that Hull’s rail links will be improved following a meeting this week between Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin and a delegation of local MPs, business leaders and councillors, who want him to push ahead with plans to electrify the rail line into the city making journey times quicker.

If they do get the nod it could well lead to even more companies relocating there. The Spencer Group, a specialist engineering firm, moved into the former World Trade Centre offices on the impressive Humber Quays two years ago.

Gary Thornton, its chief operating officer, says people’s perceptions of the city are changing. “Visitors are impressed by the standard of facilities. A lot of people have a corporate image of Hull that’s outdated and when they come up and see what’s happening here they leave with a different impression.

“We’ve got a great vantage point looking out across the Humber and I’ve not yet met anyone who hasn’t been impressed by what they see and hear about regeneration in the area.”

Thornton, who comes from Hull originally, believes the city is in the process of reinventing itself. “It’s always been out on a limb location-wise and for a long time it’s had negative connotations, but it’s always had very good core businesses and the renewables industry is providing a backdrop to the rebranding process.”

He believes the city’s cultural renaissance has helped make it a more attractive place to outside businesses and investors. “Things like the Freedom Festival and the success of the City of Culture bid have helped change the vibe and the perception some people have,” he says.

“Innovative science parks and energy parks have been established along routes into Hull and while some of these are small businesses it shows the level of confidence people have in the area.

“From a business perspective the opportunities here are as strong as anywhere else and with the city establishing itself in the renewables industry the belief is that more people, particularly graduates, will stay here rather than pass through as they perhaps did in the past.”

This is backed up by the University of Hull which says around a third of all graduates are either working in the local region or in postgraduate study.

However, it isn’t all good news. A report by the government’s Money Advice Service (MAS) last year revealed that Hull is the most heavily-indebted area in Britain, with more than 40 per cent of the population admitting they were in serious financial trouble.

Not only that but unemployment is above the national average and there are concerns over the number of young people who are not in education, employment or training - so called ‘Neets.’ Hull, like any other city in the country that has had to contend with the loss of scores of public and private sector jobs, isn’t without its problems.

Nevertheless, people like Rosie Goodman reflect the growing sense of optimism in the city. She set up Fudge, a restaurant on the bustling Princes Avenue, eight years ago. Since then the business has not only survived the worst a recession can throw at it, it’s flourished, winning national awards for its homemade produce.

“Hull is a city of opportunity and ambition - if you’ve got the drive to start your business here there is huge potential for growth,” she says.

Having weathered the financial crisis the business has thrived and Goodman has opened a bakery and shop next door, and started running cookery workshops.

“When we first opened we were one of three places doing restaurant-quality food in a three mile radius and now we’re one of 36,” she says.

“People are very loyal here and they want to support local businesses. If we were in London and we were one of 36 places I imagine we wouldn’t last long.”

She returned to Hull, where she grew up, to start her business and has noticed a change in the city. “There seems to be a lot of innovative projects going on that people are setting up off their own backs, especially in leisure and culture,” she says.

“It’s a city of two halves in a sense. You’ve got very strong working class traditions and this thriving cultural scene, but it isn’t pretentious it’s very grounded and very different from what you get in other cities.”

It’s not only locals who are leading the regeneration. “There seems to be more graduates staying on after they finish and starting up businesses because they see Hull as being good value for money.

“Outside investors are also coming to Hull and setting one thing up and then seeing the potential, so you’re getting three, or four things set up by the same owner.”

All of which bodes well for the future. “I think we’ve been through our dark days and this is our time now.”

[email protected]