Mayor John Biggs has opened up Whitechapel to more small to medium sized business. Credit: Tower Hamlets Council
Tower Hamlets Council have announced a new project to convert unoccupied or rundown buildings in Whitechapel into business workspaces.
£725,000 of funding from Tower Hamlets Council and the Mayor of London’s High Street Fund kickstarted the ‘Call for Spaces’ project.
This initiative aims to turn empty buildings falling in the “Whitechapel Vision Masterplan” boundary into workspaces for small to medium sized businesses (SMEs).
Mayor of Tower Hamlets, John Biggs said: “We want Whitechapel to be a centre of entrepreneurial innovation with real support for all our small and medium sized businesses.
“Whitechapel is already a great place to do business, our aim is to make it even better by helping new businesses set up shop. I’d encourage any landowners with vacant properties in the area to get involved and help us realise our vision for an even more enterprising Whitechapel.”
Biggs’ vision aligns with Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan who reminded Londoners in June that SMEs should not be neglected. Khan called for “…good quality space… for small business, start-ups and entrepreneurs.”
He added that the need for new homes should not “…be at the expense of the space we need for the businesses that provide our jobs and drive our prosperity.”
Tower Hamlets Council have offered qualifying Whitechapel property owners:
- security and building protection
- maintenance – spaces may be refurbished to an appropriate standard for temporary occupation
- health and safety, security and access upgrades
- flexible lease terms.
To sign up to the scheme as a property owner or a representative from an SME visit the Enterprising Whitechapel website.
