Business thriving on Parkside as new £10.7 million building takes shape

Business is thriving on Parkside Office Village at the University of Essex despite the economic downturn, with new companies moving in and a new website being launched.

Head of Operations at the University’s Knowledge Gateway research and technology park, Jamie Burns, said Parkside would be 85 per cent full by the end of the year with further tenants due to move in in early 2023.

With the steel frame of the newest four-storey £10.7 million building on Parkside now dominating the east Colchester skyline, Jamie said there was already interest in the space, which will provide 41,571 sq. ft. of flexible Grade A offices and be ready for occupation next autumn.

• Visit the dedicated Knowledge Gateway web pages

Growing fitness and technology business Quoox completed their move to Parkside in September, having outgrown their first business premises in the Knowledge Gateway’s Innovation Centre.

Quoox founder Chris Windram explained: “We’ve really benefited from being on the University campus. Parkside was the perfect location for us to grow into self-contained offices and the facilities are excellent, nothing compares to them.”

Jamie Burns said: “Quoox are a fantastic example of how a business can grow and develop on our Knowledge Gateway. They established themselves within the supported office space of the Innovation Centre and, as their business has grown and developed, they have now been able to move to their own dedicated offices and join our vibrant community on Parkside.”

GP Primary Choice, owned by 32 GP practices in Colchester and Tendring and providing vital health-related services across the area, also moved to Parkside in 2022.

CEO Joanne Sunderland explained: “With Parkside’s planned focus on businesses providing health and wellbeing services, we thought it would be a good place to be to work with other groups addressing health needs.”

Chris Oldham, Deputy Registrar of the University, said: “Despite the economic climate, businesses on Parkside are flourishing, with many recruiting our talented students and graduates and working with our research experts in health and wellbeing, data analytics and artificial intelligence.”

The Knowledge Gateway’s new website was launched this month at: knowledge-gateway.co.uk and there are dedicated web pages with more information about the new building under construction