Former aircraft base marks 10 years as business park following transformation

A former aircraft base has marked a major milestone in its transformation to a business park. Humber Enterprise Park in Brough is marking its first decade as a strategic business location.

The anniversary comes as two major long-term leases have had extensions and a significant new office tenant has been announced. Three completed property deals are providing owner Westcore Europe with the thrust to take it to the next level, 10 years on from the sale and part leaseback that ended the site’s exclusivity as a BAE Systems facility.

The historic home to the Hawk jet, afforded iconic status by the Red Arrows, was opened up to new occupiers when the defence giant significantly reduced its East Yorkshire footprint in 2014. Located minutes from the start of the M62 and the golden triangle of logistics operations clustered around the M1 and A1 axis, it is in easy striking distance of Hull, Leeds, York and all Humber ports,

Read more:

• Keep up to date with all the latest breaking news and top stories from Hull with our free newsletter

• Get the headlines direct to your phone by joining us on WhatsApp

In a release, HEP said it has "proved to be an attractive location for businesses to thrive".

It said: "Now in growth mode, the 79-acre East Yorkshire site features high-grade production and storage units as well as multiple office suites, ranging from 1,000 to 30,000 sq ft. They have benefitted from a significant upgrade, and provide a link to the park’s pioneering past, taking the names Bluebird, Firebrand and Hawk – aircraft developed at the base.

"Westcore is now looking to build on recent successes, with Cablescan and Supercrafthaving just made long-term commitments to the site, with seven-and-a-half and nine-and-a-half year deals respectively. Both work in the defence arena.

"Also arriving on site has been Pure Renewables, with its commercial and industrial division, on a three-year deal. Cablescan, part of Fortune 500 listed Amphenol Corporation, manufactures high-performance electrical cable assemblies and control panels for defence, aerospace, marine, industrial, and commercial applications, with a team of 100 employed on site. Brough is the company’s UK headquarters, with further satellite facilities in the UK and Europe."

Lloyd Cooper, Cablescan’s Business Unit Director, said: “We are delighted to commit to Humber Enterprise Park, a business location steeped in history and ripe with innovation, that really sets itself apart. As a company with global partners, the site’s heritage is a source of real pride. The decision has underpinned our plan to invest in the facilities we operate from, with a refurbishment of our office space underway and improving shop floor facilities next on the agenda, further enhancing the great working environment we provide.”

Businesses considering their next move are now being urged to embrace the rich history the site offers for office and manufacturing or logistics requirements.

Paul Brustad, director of Citivale, asset manager for Westcore, said: “We hope the engineering excellence and innovation fostered over a century at Brough will act as inspiration and a stimulus for prospective new tenants at Humber Enterprise Park. The location offers much to business and the legacy is unrivalled in the area when it comes to the creation of cutting-edge technology.

"We currently have some vacant office space available to let and have also started marketing some sizeable manufacturing/logistics space which will be available later in 2024.”

Westcore acquired Humber Enterprise Park in 2019, with BAE Systems committing to a further 10 years on a substantial part of the site last year. It is home to the company’s Centre for Digital Engineering Excellence, spanning 500,000 sq ft.

Launched by Robert Blackburn and developed from the midway point in the First World War, Brough went on to provide flight testing from both its own runway and water launch, with assembly and conversion supporting both war efforts, prior to becoming part of BAE.