Thinking of moving to Exeter - good and bad bits of town?
Discussion
LordHaveMurci said:
Can't help Re: a fixer, what sort of premises would you be looking for?
We would need to find business premises first before residential. Ideally I would like both on the same land, such as a Farm or similar, even to put temporary caravans or accommodation on site until proper homes are sorted out later. Personally I have a motorhome I could use for a while. Continuity of business is key as that funds everything else, some of us can slum it for as long as it takes, we are thick skinned!Space needed approx 8,000 sq ft for workshop plus warehouse / storage, with ability to expand somewhat over time. Be nice to a have a few acres of land. A suitable incoming power supply is essential 3 phase 100+ amp (or the ability to upgrade).
Access, what we do is very specialised manufacturing, engineering, R&D and product design for a niche market. I could also possibly help other businesses locally that might need something made. For example we have full 3D CAD facilities, CNC machines, various welding, engineering, lathes and such like that would need to be relocated. The physical moving and installation we can handle.
We also CNC router materials such as wood, plastics, even digitally printed textiles, signage and graphics. When people visit us and see our skills and what we do they are always fascinated, it a real mixed bag of manufacturing processes.
A fully flat concrete floor for fork truck use is needed for moving heavy items and pallets in and out of vehicles.
As long as trucks and main delivery couriers can come and go daily we could be almost anywhere. We would even consider building something from scratch.
Good broadband is key!
I will also be looking for a new accountant, solicitors and such like, plus additional staff recruitment as approx 50% of our current team will not relocate.
Separately we have also just been awarded a grant to fund some research on a new environmental device, a small team of people from a couple of Universities is involved directly, this allows us potentially over the coming years to be a serious player in the field of research and development of certain products that we are keen to manufacture solely in the UK. Not so relevant in this process but external funding or JV's might be considered next year as the new opportunities here to sell globally and expand further are very interesting.
A mixture of random info here that hopefully makes sense. Any more specific details I am happy to message or PM as I cannot say too much more on an open forum. Thanks.
If you're going to be having courier vans or even arctic's etc then I'd be looking at the access routes to whatever site you look at. My old business was in a town yet the ISO containers we had delivered often had issues as their satnav would take them down country roads rather than the common sense A-road.
All the courier depots and hubs are on the east side of Exeter as there is obviously easier access to the motorway, A303 and the airport. Unsurprisingly the land value there is higher than some other areas. There are places along the M5 corridor such as Cullompton that have a lot of empty commercial premises and these are cheaper than the ones near Exeter.
Be very wary in relation to the broadband. We gave 6 months notice to BT in my old business before moving to a much larger premises that had previously been a storage warehouse with no connection. Despite promises by BT for months and lots of chasing by us, nothing was done until a few days after it should have been. We were lucky as we had a bit of financial clout behind us. A small independent trader around the corner had well over a month without broadband despite similar promises. The roll out of Broadband is still ongoing down here, as with the vehicular access, do some homework before picking an area.
When you've got your new unit (if you choose to move down and you should, it's awesome down here) you have to throw a PH meet before you open it so we can all do big smokey donuts and drift around the parking lot
On a serious note, it has a lot to offer down here both in relation to the financial benefits and quality of life. One of our traders came down to visit a few years ago and looked sick when we told him just how little it cost us to buy our 40,000 sq ft warehouse. There are a lot of well connected business types in the SW forum (I'm not one of them!), I'd recommend starting a new thread with a more business oriented title to entice them to read and respond. And if you need any warehouse/logistics types give me a shout!
All the courier depots and hubs are on the east side of Exeter as there is obviously easier access to the motorway, A303 and the airport. Unsurprisingly the land value there is higher than some other areas. There are places along the M5 corridor such as Cullompton that have a lot of empty commercial premises and these are cheaper than the ones near Exeter.
Be very wary in relation to the broadband. We gave 6 months notice to BT in my old business before moving to a much larger premises that had previously been a storage warehouse with no connection. Despite promises by BT for months and lots of chasing by us, nothing was done until a few days after it should have been. We were lucky as we had a bit of financial clout behind us. A small independent trader around the corner had well over a month without broadband despite similar promises. The roll out of Broadband is still ongoing down here, as with the vehicular access, do some homework before picking an area.
When you've got your new unit (if you choose to move down and you should, it's awesome down here) you have to throw a PH meet before you open it so we can all do big smokey donuts and drift around the parking lot
On a serious note, it has a lot to offer down here both in relation to the financial benefits and quality of life. One of our traders came down to visit a few years ago and looked sick when we told him just how little it cost us to buy our 40,000 sq ft warehouse. There are a lot of well connected business types in the SW forum (I'm not one of them!), I'd recommend starting a new thread with a more business oriented title to entice them to read and respond. And if you need any warehouse/logistics types give me a shout!
Jay, have a word with Tony Noon at NoonRoberts 01392 691007 noonroberts.co.uk
Tony is a car nut too (Aston, Porsche, Land Rover and MGs currently in his garage) and specialises in the sale and rent of commercial properties in the Exeter area.
Tony is a car nut too (Aston, Porsche, Land Rover and MGs currently in his garage) and specialises in the sale and rent of commercial properties in the Exeter area.
Edited by LordBretSinclair on Monday 11th September 19:32
LordBretSinclair said:
Jay, have a word with Tony Noon at NoonRoberts 01392 691007 noonroberts.co.uk
Tony is a car nut too (Aston, Porsche, Land Rover and MGs currently in his garage) and specialises in the sale and rent of commercial properties in the Exeter area.
Thanks very much, will do.Tony is a car nut too (Aston, Porsche, Land Rover and MGs currently in his garage) and specialises in the sale and rent of commercial properties in the Exeter area.
Edited by LordBretSinclair on Monday 11th September 19:32
I thought I recognised the OP.... only me in 2012!
So since I asked the OP we have moved to Exeter and are really enjoying it here, mainly been living on the outskirts rather than in the city centre.
General observations... would say the traffic during rush hour heading into town is quite congested, for example last night it was clear and I got to town in 15 minutes but on a bad day I'd say it would be a 45 min journey. There are more and more housing developments springing up, currently 14 sites all around the city, so I'd expect the traffic to get worse as the infrastructure isn't being increased to accommodate all the extra bodies. Also over by the M5 roundabout next to Sandy park ikeas being built so I'd expect weekends to get very busy there once it opens.
I've seen quite a few commercial premises located 5 - 10 miles out of the city which seem to be a bit cheaper in rentals plus gives you easier access for daily driving. Obviously Marsh Barton and Sowton are the main industrial estates.
The city itself is very nice, at the top of town is Southernhay which is the go to place for accountants / legal advice / the recruiters (on a personal note I've found Hays to be the most professional recruiter, but I'm sailing the chartered accountancy so slightly different line of work.) There's a constant regeneration going on in the town. Plus at the weekends your 10 mins for a beach or and hour to Cornwall if you fancy stretching your legs that way.
Hope the move goes as well as possible.
So since I asked the OP we have moved to Exeter and are really enjoying it here, mainly been living on the outskirts rather than in the city centre.
General observations... would say the traffic during rush hour heading into town is quite congested, for example last night it was clear and I got to town in 15 minutes but on a bad day I'd say it would be a 45 min journey. There are more and more housing developments springing up, currently 14 sites all around the city, so I'd expect the traffic to get worse as the infrastructure isn't being increased to accommodate all the extra bodies. Also over by the M5 roundabout next to Sandy park ikeas being built so I'd expect weekends to get very busy there once it opens.
I've seen quite a few commercial premises located 5 - 10 miles out of the city which seem to be a bit cheaper in rentals plus gives you easier access for daily driving. Obviously Marsh Barton and Sowton are the main industrial estates.
The city itself is very nice, at the top of town is Southernhay which is the go to place for accountants / legal advice / the recruiters (on a personal note I've found Hays to be the most professional recruiter, but I'm sailing the chartered accountancy so slightly different line of work.) There's a constant regeneration going on in the town. Plus at the weekends your 10 mins for a beach or and hour to Cornwall if you fancy stretching your legs that way.
Hope the move goes as well as possible.
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