£1 million funding to support Braintree town centre

Plans to improve roads and pedestrianise part of Braintree town centre have been handed a massive boost thanks to the announcement of a new investment from central government of £1million.

Braintree District Council and Essex County Council bid successfully for a share of the £93.4 million Local Highways Maintenance Challenge Fund.

The investment in new and improved roads supports plans to pedestrianise part of Braintree town centre, to enhance walking and cycling links helping to improve air quality and tackle congestion, including developing the possibility of a proposed contraflow bus and cycle lane at Fairfield Road in Braintree.

Councillor Tom Cunningham, Cabinet Member for Economic Development and Infrastructure at Braintree District Council, said: “It’s great news that Central Government has awarded us with this funding which will support our investment into Braintree Town Centre. Our aim is to make the town centre a place people want to visit and socialise and our pedestrianisation scheme is key to that. We’ve been working closely with our partners such as Essex County Council to make sure we get this right, and this extra funding will help drive the transformational change the town centre needs while also improving the condition of the high street.”  

Cllr Kevin Bentley, Essex County Council’s Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Infrastructure, said: “Investment in Braintree town centre is testament to the role of local high streets – the life blood of our communities – and how important it is that we continue to maintain them now and in the future so that they can thrive.”

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Get Ready for Ride to Work Week!

Whatever your motivation – whether it’s the climate emergency, losing weight, getting fitter or saving money – riding to work will help you achieve your goal and enjoy lots of other benefits. It doesn’t matter if you’ve never ridden to work, if you’ve just got out of the habit over winter or if you ride every day come rain or shine, you’re invited to take part in Ride to Work Week.

All you need to do is ride all or part of the way to work on one (or more!) days from 23-29 March.

Will you and your colleagues take part in the challenge?

Visit: www.lovetoride.net/uk

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How will your business benefit from Vélo Essex?

Vélo Essex is coming to the Braintree District in September 2020.

We would love for your business to benefit from the event and there are a number of ways you can get involved.

Visit: www.veloessex.com/local-info/business-guide

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Small business support website launched

There is a new #businesssupport website to help you:

💡 develop innovative ideas

🚚 expand into new markets

💷 fund business growth

👩‍💼 invest in your employees

Find the right support to help your business grow.

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Managing mental health in the workplace

 

Visit: www.essexlifestyleservice.org.uk/working-well

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Exporting goods in and out of the UK market?

The Department for International Trade has launched two digital tools for businesses exporting goods in and out of the UK market.

The free-to-use tools available on gov.uk detail product-specific and country-specific information on tariffs, regulations and other topics in one place, saving businesses time and making it easier for them to trade.

The ‘Trade with the UK’ tool provides businesses exporting goods into the UK market with detailed and up-to-date information on topics such as tariffs, taxes and rules.

The ‘Check How to Export Goods’ tool provides exporters of goods out of the UK market with information such as duties and customs procedures for over 160 markets around the world.

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Manor Street building works set to start

Preliminary building work on the Manor Street regeneration in Braintree is already underway with major construction expected to start next month.

The scheme is made up of 35 apartment homes, a “Livewell” health hub, pharmacy, 70 bed Travelodge, bigger bus interchange, café/restaurant overlooking a new public space and a twin-level car park.

Car park closures – Manor and Victoria Street car parks will close at 7pm on Sunday, 1st March. Further information on the car parking alternatives can be found at www.braintree.gov.uk/parkalt.

From the Monday, Manor Street will also become one-way, westbound, into the town.

Bus park closure – The bus park will close after the last bus has departed on Sunday, 22nd March.

Temporary bus stands are to be positioned around the current bus park site and will be open to services from Monday, 23rd March.

To find out where the temporary bus stops will be after the bus park closure, visit:  www.braintree.gov.uk/tempstops

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Horizon 120 takes another step forward

The construction of roads into and within the Horizon 120 Business and Innovation Park have been given the green light.

Braintree District Council purchased the 65 acre site in Great Notley in December 2018 with a vision of creating an employment site fit for the future which attracts firms across a number of sectors and offers residents high quality jobs.

This new business park will offer modern flexible work spaces and business accommodation, a central hub with amenities and facilities, electric vehicle charging points and high quality fibre optic internet connectivity.

The site is in an ideal strategic location, close to the A120 and well connected to Stansted Airport and the M11. The development of the new buildings is expected to start in the autumn.

Visit: www.horizon120.com

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HMRC extends SME customs grant funding

Businesses that complete customs declarations now have until 31 January 2021 to apply for grant funding to help them increase their capacity to do so.

During the transition period following the UK’s departure from the EU – from 1 February to 31 December 2020 – there will be no change to the way businesses trade with the EU.  However, it is recommended that businesses start preparing now for future customs arrangements from 1 January 2021.

Find out what grants you can apply for to get funding for recruitment, training and IT improvements if your business completes customs declarations.

PricewaterhouseCoopers is administering the grants for HMRC (Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs).

Visit: www.customsintermediarygrant.co.uk

DID YOU KNOW? Essex Chambers of Commerce delivers a number of training sessions which qualify for the above scheme. When you have had your application approved you can consider booking your training here.

Please contact Essex Chambers of Commerce via [email protected] if you would like a quote for bespoke in-house training.

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COVID-19: Coronavirus guidance for employers and businesses

Public Health England recommends that the following general cold and flu precautions are taken to help prevent people from catching and spreading COVID-19:

• cover your mouth and nose with a tissue (not your hands) when you cough or sneeze.
• put used tissues in the bin straight away.
• wash your hands with soap and water often – use hand sanitiser gel if soap and water are not available.
• try to avoid close contact with people who are unwell.
• clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
• do not touch your eyes, nose or mouth if your hands are not clean.

Further information is available on the PHE blog and NHS.UK.

The COVID-19: guidance for employers and businesses is available here. 

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Help us, help you

Whether you have an existing business here in the Braintree District or if you are setting up a new venture, we’re totally committed to helping you on your journey.

Contact us on [email protected] or 01376 552525 and we can help marry you up with lots of different opportunities.

Want to stay in touch more regularly? Join our closed Facebook page – just search for Braintree District Businesses.

Plus: We would like to hear from you about your business support needs. This will allow us to put together a tailored package of support for your business as well as improving our services to you. Get involved.

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