Here’s the dilemma:

Milton Keynes now has the second highest growth in the number of small businesses in the UK – equal to that of London according to new figures released from accounting group UHY Hacker Young.  It is without doubt, the place to do business.  Indeed, many high profile brands agree.  Abbey, Amazon, Dominoes, Argos, Traffic Master, Daimler Chrysler and Rightmove are just some of the household brands that have moved to the new city.

However, whilst growth of business is so promising, that brings with it high priced commercial property.  Alliance and Leicester have reported, in their 2009 Cost Monitor findings, that Milton Keynes is the second most expensive town to rent retail property space.  It makes perfect sense.  Where there’s demand, there is a price increase.

So, how does the small business take advantage of the opportunities Milton Keynes has to offer without being crippled by the over inflated property rates?  This is, after all, one of the most recession-proof towns in the country according to the Sunday Times.  Milton Keynes is a town to get in with.

Milton Keynes may strike up instant images of concrete and roundabouts.  And yes, there are a lot of both.  However, Milton Keynes is very fortunately located.  The town is surrounded by breath-taking Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire countryside. It is in a beautiful part of the UK. 

What this means is that small businesses have a choice.  Rural alternatives are popping up all around the city in contemporary business hubs offering something a great deal more pleasant than the expensive, congested concrete jungle.

Liscombe Park is one such business park.  Set in the idyllic, rolling hills of Soulbury, just 15 minutes from Milton Keynes town centre, this nest of offices gives the small business a flexible get-in, get-on work set-up without the hefty price tag. 

It’s not just the rates that make this property option appealing.

Liscombe Park developments have designed their offices with work-life balance in mind.  ‘Time to think, Time to Achieve’ is what they promise.  It’s easy to believe them as you journey up the grand, tree-lined driveway, passed the equestrian land with horses grazing, arriving at a community of converted barn-offices.

At Liscombe, you can hold meetings outside while you picnic.  You have free parking.  You have an exclusive, luxurious health club with pool and spa facilities next door with subsidized membership for tenants*.  There is no traffic.  It’s easy.  It feels calmly dynamic.  You get a sense that this is how working is meant to be.

Business tenants of these outskirt locations to Milton Keynes truly get the best of both worlds.  In quarter of an hour they’re in the bustling centre, networking with their neighbours.  In quarter of an hour they’re back out, able to breathe and do business in a way that feels far less stressful.  My advice: Do it now before the herds follow.

For more information on Liscombe Park, visit www.liscombepark.co.uk.

* Subsidised Health Club Membership can be negotiated for new tenants at Liscombe Park.

Local beauty spot, Liscombe Park is giving frustrated businesses in the larger towns of Milton Keynes and Luton a new choice in commercial property with the launch of it’s office & land development plan for 2009.

At a time when small businesses are either looking to downsize or cut their spend on office space and rent, Liscombe developments have created a hub of new flexi-rent, contemporary offices away from the congestion, minutes from the traffic-free bypass connecting the major towns in Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire.

The stress free features of the park’s work environment are carried throughout the development. With flexible contracts, ready-offices and a strong work-life balance philosophy offering all tenants a healthy way of working, Liscombe is much more than a low risk property solution.

This innovative new offering from the renowned historical park includes ‘Get In/Get On’ rented offices with free broadband and a complete office-ready set up for workers to hit the floor running. The development plans also allow for easy expansion of office space to suit the changing business needs of each client.

For those who are looking to take advantage of the recession to purchase land and build assets, Liscombe has various investment opportunities available. Over the past 12 months, the savvy developers have gained planning permission for commercial, equestrian, leisure and agricultural construction on their 300 acres of available land at the park and they’re offering it to interested investors.

Visit www.liscombepark.co.uk for gallery images, videos and further information.

Liscombe Park Ltd is offering for sale 138 acres of farmland. Situated close to Leighton Buzzard and easy driving distance from Milton Keynes and Aylesbury this is a parcel which rarely becomes available. Currently entirely arable the lease will expire in October 2009 giving vacant possession. Go to http://www.liscombepark.co.uk/files/lp-land-details.pdf for details.

Continuing on from our last blog on the pros of renting, we explore the benefits of purchasing commercial property in the current climate.

Clearly, buying premises should only be considered if you have the capital behind you to support such a purchase. Whilst a commercial mortgage is the more common means of funding such an investment, being in a stable position financially is vital in this unpredictable economy.

Purchase of land or property for commercial use is a long-term asset for a growing business and is a wise decision to make at a stable point in your business lifecycle. As we have seen recently however, this kind of asset can depreciate (as opposed to better times historically when commercial property managed to push through any downturns) so don’t hedge all your bets on this particular investment.

Buying property gives you the flexibility to expand and evolve that workspace over time, as you want it – providing you have planning permission. If this is your aim, make sure you find out as much as possible about the future allowances and plans affecting your land, building and surroundings.

The downside to owning your property is of course that you become responsible for all maintenance and repair however, on the plus side, it gets done when and how you want it to!

Purchase ultimately gives you control and provides a worthwhile asset in your business. Currently, deals can be found so, if your business or industry is one of those few that are booming in the recession, taking advantage of lower property prices and land for sale could be a savvy move.

Top tips: Look to buy in those towns deemed as growth areas by the government and earmarked for investment, employment initiatives, new infrastructure and residential plans. It is less likely that your property will go down in value than in other, more mature or decaying areas. Look around; compare properties, consider location, access, proximity to amenities and benefits for staff. Visit www.liscomepark.co.uk for more information and excellent land-for-sale opportunities.

There are many questions and quandaries facing the smaller business when it comes to commercial property and office space.

Should a smaller business rent or purchase? Is it wise to downsize and introduce hot-desking or home working to reduce square footage? Will it be cheaper to move out of town in order to take advantage of lower rent costs and better parking/access? Is now the time to buy land for sale or is it better to rent and wait? Does a serviced office really make working life easier or cheaper?

No matter what the decision to be made, the important point to remember is that the recession is temporary. The situation will change and businesses need to think and plan long-term.

Flexibility is the key and, at a time when commercial property developers and agents are under pressure, there are many opportunities available that offer low commitment property solutions in a climate of uncertainty.

Firstly you need to decide whether you are building a business or an asset. At what stage are you at with your business?

If you’re building your business and cautious of the current climate, your first priority is to manage your costs and cash flow. Renting will allow you to do that and control your resources providing you manage the agreement correctly from the outset. Find out how frequently rates are reviewed, what you can expect from maintenance and be sure of everything included -and not included - in the rental payment.

Rental is typically fixed and more predictable than interest rates on purchased properties. Whilst it has to be said that your rent is paying for someone else’s asset, it does give you the security of not having to deal with property management and unexpected costs when problems arise.

When making the decision on location, don’t naturally assume that city centre locations are the best option. Shop around and compare out of town office rent to centre rates. When analysing costs, consider the impact of travel, parking, competitor proximity, amenities and your flexibility to expand or downsize. Do staff have to pay to park, is it hard sometimes to get a space with all the time wasted that is involved needing to be taken into account. City centre costs aren’t the only downside, it can often be a hassle doing business there impeding your business efficiency.

Keep your options and mind open if you don’t have the capital available for purchase. Renting will allow you to focus on other more important areas of your business during a recession.
Visit www.liscombepark.co.ukfor easy lease, get in/get on flexi rent for businesses looking to expand or downsize in the Milton Keynes, Aylesbury, Leighton Buzzard and Luton areas.

Two small offices, ideal for between 1 and 4 people, will soon be available at Liscombe Park.

Both with private w/c and allocated parking you’ll enjoy the serenity of a country location close to Leighton Buzzard (10 mins); South Milton Keynes (10-15 mins); Aylesbury (20 mins). See map at http://www.liscombepark.co.uk/contact.php

Leases are flexible allowing you to get in and get on with undue delay or expense.

Apart from it’s beautiful location in the Liscombe Park Estate, just off the new Leighton Buzzard by pass, you can also access leisure facilities a few steps from your office door at the on site Health Club operated by energie fitness or for the horsey types stable your horses or hire them for an hour or day at the Liscombe Park Equestrian. Centre.

Interested? Then call David Tonnison on 01296 68 18 18 or 07811 45 99 96.

énergie Fitness Club will be holding another open day on Saturday 31 January at their Liscombe Park venue. The 300 acre Liscombe Park Estate is the ideal venue for a health and fitness club.

Along with the opportunity to trial the club for free, énergie will be laying on refreshments, Kids Team Combat and extended family swim times. For more information on the day, as well as the special offers available, please contact Jacqui or Stephen on 01296 682281.

Liscombe Park is situated on the Soulbury Wing road and just four minutes from the Leighton Buzzard by pass making it easily accessible from Aylesbury (c. 30 minutes), Milton Keynes c. 10-15 mins) and Leighton Buzzard (c. 10 mins).

The typical journey to work is plagued with stress: Rushing for the train; sitting in traffic jams; shouting at half-asleep drivers; finding a parking space…that’s a lot of anger to face first thing in the morning and a lot of pressure to deal with before the day has even begun.

Don’t underestimate the stress this has on a business. More and more companies are leaving their offices in the towns and cities and moving out to the country. Relocation to the trendy rural suburbs is big news.

The draws for working out of town are many; price being the greatest reason for moving office. The cost of rural commercial property is significantly less than city based offices, as is the price of parking – in fact, parking is free and there’s plenty of it to go round.

Towns like Milton Keynes are struggling to provide parking spaces not just for visitors to the city but, more importantly, for employees of local firms. Free spaces are rare; convenient parking is at a premium many businesses simply can’t afford. Spaces are available on a first come, first served basis for many workers in the city, while those that don’t get there early enough are forced to brave the windy, rainy walk to their office building from a parking space blocks away. The real frustration for many companies comes when, despite their enviable M1 location, they still can’t tempt their clients to visit due to the sheer inconvenience and expense of parking.

So, where are these businesses moving to?

Forward thinking companies are planting their roots in the outskirts. These peaceful, countryside locations make the most of the Milton Keynes, Luton, Cambridge and Oxford arc and are often only minutes away from the city centres by car. Ironically, many of these rural sites have become much more accessible by road than those in the city centres.

There’s something rather serene about starting the day on clear, traffic free roads, driving through beautiful scenery that inspires rather than angers. Fresh air instead of exhaust fumes; cows instead of concrete, trees instead of traffic lights, free parking spaces on your office doorstep…and no more Milton Keynes roundabouts! There is an abundance of benefits to doing business in the sticks.

Working in the city is no walk in the park…but there is a working solution that is…

Of the various new commercial developments that have appeared on the scenic landscapes of Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire, Liscombe Park is one that has taken the work/life balance concept one step further. Not only do they offer flexible office space in attractive properties that can accommodate businesses of any size, but they’ve managed to throw in a health and leisure complex on-site; equestrian activities and land for horse owners; beautiful park walks and outside meeting/picnic areas.

Located just 15 minutes from Milton Keynes, 15 minutes from Aylesbury and 25 minutes from Luton Airport, you can certainly see the appeal of relocating to Liscombe Park and working in the country. Rural working is cheaper, more convenient and more pleasurable – what’s not to like.

The Marbleworks is a storage/light industrial unit of c.1000 sq ft unit. Features include two large access doors, good eves height and based in a secure location with plentiful parking.

Easy in/out terms are available on this property.

Click to download more information

For mor information please call David Tonnison on: 01296 68 18 18 or 07811 45 99 96 or email david.tonnison@liscombepark.co.uk