Seneca Property invests in Burnley

Since our business was founded in 2010, we have been important supporters of SMEs in Lancashire.

By Chris Bullough, chief financial officer, Seneca Property.

We have provided equity to support growing companies, construction finance for housebuilders and advisory services for businesses looking to grow or restructure.

Now, following our purchase of the BizHub portfolio of business centres, and with recent purchases in Burnley and across the North West, we own approximately 500,000 sq ft of serviced offices and light industrial units.

Through these 12 sites we are able to offer a diverse portfolio of flexible, serviced offices at accessible properties, located close to major markets.

The recent acquisitions of Lodge House and Northbridge House in Burnley are excellent examples of the type and location of property we’ve been keen to invest in.

Across the two sites we can offer 80,000 sq ft of high quality, flexible accommodation located in a regional hub that’s clearly keen to promote growth, innovate and support small businesses.

We’ve been very impressed with the quality of the buildings, the attention to detail and the high level of service offered by staff at both sites.

We want our investment to signal the start of the next chapter in the story of these important hubs in Burnley’s economy.

We’ll be working with carefully-selected partners who truly understand how important our spaces are to our SME clients.

An obvious area is ensuring our internet provision is truly market-leading. Tenants at both Burnley locations have remarked they are satisfied with the current broadband speeds, but what’s satisfactory today might not be so tomorrow, so we’ve engaged with network providers to begin upgrading our systems architecture as soon as possible.

However, we mustn’t forget the quality of the buildings themselves and we’re committed to their internal and external upkeep. Both of our buildings in Burnley are wonderful examples of the town’s industrial heritage and we want our workplaces to be comfortable, accessible, great value and available on very flexible terms, in buildings that can inspire the rich variety of businesses Burnley has always fostered and will no doubt continue to do so.