Celebrating successful first year

Transforming Telford, the economic development company for Telford and Wrekin, is celebrating a successful year handling nearly 190 investment inquiries.

The company said it had delivered a strong performance as it published an end-of-year report to March 31.

The report showed Transforming Telford handled 187 investment inquiries, exceeding its targets by more than 44 per cent.

In the last financial year, it secured 12 new investors, including overseas investment from Austrian dairy giant NOM, which is building at Donnington Wood Retail Park, and building solutions company Weber, currently on site creating a new headquarters in Halesfield.

The report said the investments were a "great achievement" with NOM alone creating 500 jobs over the next five years.

"With a strong pipeline in place the team has powered ahead and in April and May Wiltshire Farm Foods, Advanced Surface Polymers and Maxys Ltd were also added to the list of companies to choose Telford as a business location," the report said.

Transforming Telford reported the creation of 239 new jobs from both new investment and local company expansions. Jobs have also been safeguarded by supporting companies to grow and stay in Telford including Sirane Ltd, Protomold and Taz Co Pak.

Peter Roach, chairman of Transforming Telford, said: "The board is extremely pleased with this year's performance. Having worked with more than 400 businesses through a successful visit programme and engaged with more than 1,600 business people through a large number of events we have been encouraged by the positive feedback from Telford's business community.

Positive

"We will continue to develop relationships with key partners, stakeholders and most importantly local businesses and with a positive pipeline of inquiries for the next few years build on the tremendous work already achieved."

Transforming Telford not only provides business support but works to drive forward the physical regeneration of the area.

Mr Roach added: "A major highlight for us has been the £440 million investment in Telford Town centre by international real estate company Apollo Real Estate & Hark Group.

"Plans for a state-of-the-art, mixed-use development will help put Telford on the map together with the Southwater Event Group plans for a new convention quarter. The past year has seen a lot of hard work behind the scenes and we now have a great base to drive forward our key physical projects including the town centre regeneration and the hi-technology development close to Junction 4 of the M54 at Lakeside and Nedge Hill Science Park."