A new £2.2 million development is now home to a lively community of start-up and growing businesses all benefitting from the quality space created there.
Discovery Court contains 15 business units owned by North Kesteven District Council and built on its behalf by Lindum Group, on land which forms part of the wider Discovery Park development in North Hykeham.
It’s been full now for some time - since March this year - after the units were handed over to the Council last May on completion of work to build them.
Enquiries came in fast during the build through marketing agent for the site Banks Long & Co together with the Council’s BusinessNK team, and Discovery Court is now home to a community of businesses from car repairs to delicious event catering and much in between.
The MINI Repair Shop moved to its unit in June 2021 as Discovery Court’s first tenant, and from there provides a range of services as a BMW and Mini independent specialist, including service and repairs, diagnostic and MOTs, from brand new to vintage and project models.
Director Steve Chambers, who operates the business together with Director Kyle Berry, said: “Having the opportunity to be on Discovery Court has allowed us to fulfil our dream of starting our own business and seeing it grow.
“The site was a great choice for The MINI Repair Shop as the size and location met our criteria perfectly. The look and style of the site and unit was very important as we wanted to create the correct impression for customers and suppliers and Discovery Court really did meet all our requirements – it feels clean and modern.
“There’s a great atmosphere and entrepreneurial spirit here at Discovery Court as most of the businesses are small and local like ourselves. The location is perfect and well connected to the surrounding area, including easy access to the A46 which links to the rest of Lincoln.”
Marc Pearson is Director of Ground and Environmental Investigation Ltd, which is also based at Discovery Court having moved there in January 2022. The company advises on practical solutions for geotechnical design and contaminated land.
“Having looked at a number of other options, the quality of the units and the proximity to good transport routes at Discovery Court made this space the ideal choice,” he said.
“There’s a good community of smaller businesses located on Discovery Court and opportunities to network and work together. The company has previously had workspaces in a number of locations throughout Lincoln and the new unit has allowed us to bring all that together under one roof and be much more efficient with our time, as well as making things so much easier.
“The business is thriving from our new location and hopefully we’ll be looking to expand in the near future.”
Council Leader Councillor Richard Wright said:
“A whole range of businesses are now working from our Discovery Court development and a wonderful community of enterprise and entrepreneurship has formed thanks to them.
“It’s also fantastic on many more levels as these growing businesses are not only providing local services and jobs in our communities but through their presence at Discovery Court they are also building opportunities within our local economy through their work with partners, suppliers and customers.
“It’s a pleasure to find these businesses thriving at Discovery Court and I look forward to seeing them continue to grow and succeed."
Banks Long & Co Associate Director Sarah Pettefar said:
“Banks Long & Co were delighted to market the site on behalf of North Kesteven District Council. There were exceptional levels of interest during marketing and we are delighted that full occupancy was secured so quickly from completion of the build.
“The site has an excellent mixture of tenants and there is a real community spirit on site. We are now managing the site and we look forward to continuing to work with the occupiers and North Kesteven District Council.”
For more information on Discovery Court, visit businessnk.co.uk
To enquire about available Council business units in the District, contact Banks Long & Co on 01522 544515 or the Council’s BusinessNK Team on 01529 414155.
