Businesses on the largest industrial estates in Dorset have taken the lead by voting to establish the first industrial estates Business Improvement District (BID) in the county and only the second in the South West of England.A BID is a formal designation that enables groups of businesses to work together and commission projects to improve their local trading environment. Over the past eighteen months the Board of six volunteers, who all run businesses on the estate, have been working with the firms on the estates to develop their priorities for the next five years.
BID’s are democratic and must be endorsed through a formal independent ballot. Over 60% voted in favour of the BID, which represented 69% of the Rateable Value. The 42.5% turnout is considerably higher than the average for similar votes.
Russell Bowyer MD of Custom World Dorset Ltd and Chair of the Ferndown & Uddens Business Improvement District says “This is great news that businesses have chosen to support the BID. We can now start to deliver a much improved industrial estate in line with our proposed business plan, with the aim of making this a cost-neutral benefit to all businesses.”
Invaluable support has also been provided by East Dorset District and Dorset County Councils together with other public bodies and agencies to enable this to happen.
Cllr Ian Monks, Leader of East Dorset District Council, said: “We have been working with the BID Board over the past few months to support their Business Plan and we are delighted that it has been approved. I’m sure that the BID will facilitate projects that will benefit all businesses on the estates.”
The BID Business Plan may be downloaded at www.ferndownanduddens.co.uk