News Article

Major Boost to transport links at £330 million Maxim

09/12/2009

A major new transport strategy has been unveiled to support up to 8,000 new jobs at Maxim Office Park in Lanarkshire, the UK’s largest speculative office development.

The innovative partnership between Maxim, North Lanarkshire Council and Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) will radically improve public transport links to the park, located at Eurocentral on the M8 motorway.

The new initiative will include travel planning and car sharing proposals to ensure ease of access for workers based at the £330m park. There will also be a new demand-responsive bus service beginning on 11 January 2010, launched exclusively for Eurocentral, ensuring flexible and reliable public transport for all Maxim workers. 

The service, jointly funded by the three partners to the tune of £100k per annum, complements Maxim’s existing bus services and will enable workers to access a fast-response dial-a-bus service anytime in the off-peak hours from 10am until 10.30pm from Monday to Saturday.

Maxim is the UK’s largest ‘live’ office park development comprising 10 buildings, totalling 756,000 sq ft of space.
Maxim chief executive Karen Campbell said: “This is a powerful model for future partnerships between developers and public bodies committed to boosting Scotland’s economy.

“Transport links are fundamental to the success of the park and as well as having superb motorway access right on our doorstep, our partnership with SPT and North Lanarkshire means we now enjoy bespoke public transport links to all the surrounding towns.

“Maxim will also have a designated travel co-ordinator on site who will create individual travel-to-work plans for companies’ employees, ensuring they have easy access to the superb working environment offered at Maxim”.

“This initiative dramatically increases choice for local people who now have greater transport access to employment opportunities at Eurocentral and will prove a major attraction to potential occupiers.

“Attracting major new occupiers is more vital than ever in the current economic climate and this further underlines to businesses considering locating at Maxim that the local authority and SPT are really committed to playing an active, positive role in meeting their needs.” 

The enhanced public transport links will help promote further expansion at the recently opened Maxim Office Park which has just unveiled global office solutions provider Regus as its first key office tenant. Regus will opening its doors in early 2010, joining a number of retail tenants who are already open at the development.

SPT Vice Chair, and local councillor in North Lanarkshire, David Fagan, said: “The existing bus service is designed for people working normal office hours, but so many jobs now involve working outwith these core hours.

“It’s great news that SPT, North Lanarkshire Council and Maxim have come up with a practical solution that makes the site more accessible for local people seeking jobs there.  There is a lot of talk these days about local partnership working providing better services. This is a real example of that.” 

Councillor Tom Maginnis, Convener of Regeneration at North Lanarkshire Council, said:“The costs and practicalities of travelling can often be a real barrier to people taking up a new job. By making public transport easily accessible to and from the Maxim Office Park, we are opening up the job opportunities to many more people across North Lanarkshire and beyond.”