NEW CIRENCESTER BUSINESS SUPPORTS OTHER LOCAL BUSINESSES

A new business in Cirencester is helping and supporting other Cotswold businesses to keep the local economy robust and strong.

It is only nine months since the former Colt Car Company headquarters in Watermoor, Cirencester changed hands to become Watermoor Point – a flexible employment site with offices and storage in the heart of the Cotswolds.

The first business moved into Watermoor Point in January 2022 and now, in less than a year, around 80% of the current office space is already occupied with plans to increase the number of offices over the coming months. 

Director, Ian Woodward-Court said: “When the Colt Cars site came on to the market last year, I felt that this could be an opportunity to create something that Cirencester and the surrounding area needed – a business venue with flexible office provision.”

Ian and Operations Manager, James Dorey, first took over the site in October 2021 when Covid19 was still prevalent, but this allowed them time to focus on getting the site ready for occupation at the beginning of 2022.

Christopher Stanley Architecture & Planning Limited is one of the businesses to move into Watermoor Point.

Justin Dowling, director, said: “Our relocation to Watermoor Point has proved a fantastic move for us, allowing our company to expand, supported by state-of-the-art facilities, professional management and a real sense of community enabling us to stay at the front of our game. It’s been such a good fit for us, so it’s easy to become quite passionate about the space and the people that run it.”

The offices are made up of two areas: the Atrium and the Bridge which is shaped like a W. The two-storey atrium can be used as an exhibition/conference space for large numbers of people and, in August this year, the Atrium was used to host one of the campaign meetings for the now Prime Minister, the Rt Hon Liz Truss MP. 

The Bridge area – also on two floors – has already been refurbished and upgraded to offer over 20 co-working desks, small and large offices that can be flexible in size to accommodate one person co-working, offices for two-25 people and 44 individual suites. 

One of the many advantages of having office space at Watermoor Point, Cirencester is its proximity to railway stations at Kemble and Swindon with a mainline service to London as well as its ease of access to the motorway network to get to major towns/cities such as Bath, Birmingham, Bristol, Cheltenham, Gloucester, Oxford and Swindon.

Ian and James have a long-term view of providing beautiful office space with great facilities and are currently planning Phase 2 of the development. 

Ian said: “We have done so much already, and we want to build on the strong foundations already in place. We have just bought The Cotswold Club adjacent to our site at Watermoor Point and already own the nearby Riverside Hotel.”

“There is a real business community here at Watermoor Point,” explained James. “Once Phase 2 is completed early next year, we will be able to offer even more reasonably priced office accommodation to entrepreneurial and innovative businesses to encourage growth for the local economy. 

“We want to encourage businesses to be part of this key employment destination for Cirencester, Wiltshire and the Cotswolds.”