For those who are accustomed to living and working in cities and large towns, locating a business in the countryside can seem like an attractive but impractical proposition. However, given that Britain is a small country; rural locations often offer the same access to markets as any urban centre, without the associated hassle of commuting through congested streets and on crowded trains and buses.  

That’s certainly a point that Forest Heath District Council would make. The authority, which administers an area that encompasses a large swathe of Suffolk, including the towns of Newmarket, Mildenall, Brandon and Red Lodge, emphasises that incoming companies benefit from the quality of life that is inherent in a rural setting without compromising their ability to do business successfully.   

Despite the bucolic setting, Forest Heath has a high-tech edge. With Cambridge and University Campus Suffolk close by, the area boasts world class research facilities and a talent pool of graduates and academics and this is reflected in the industries that are working locally. For instance, as Forest Heath development officer Emma Cooney points out, “Newmarket has a cluster of bio science industries.”  More traditionally, Newmarket is also one of Britain’s major horse racing centres and an equine industry has grown up in the area in the form of racing yards, trainers and the Animal Health Trust. 

The area has good transport links, including direct rail access to London and Norwich and the A1 and A11 providing the major road arteries. The infrastructure has helped Forest Heath attract a diverse range of companies, including Hamelin Paperbrands - situated at the WarrenBusinessPark on the A11 - Nestor Pharmaceuticals and park home builder Omar.

The presence of a number of British and US air force bases in the area has created clusters of support industries but as Peter Hardisty, general manager of Marshall Specialist Vehicles, a supplier of bodywork for military vehicles explains, they also provide facilities that can be used by incoming companies.“We set up a factory near Mildenhall in 2006,” he says.“One of the factors that decided it for us was that we needed a runway and although Mildenhall is a military base we could use theirs.”  

Marshall supplies modified equipment to military bases all over the country, so the area’s good central location and good transport links were an important consideration.   

According to Cooney, Forest Health Council’s Economic Development team provides a first port of call for businesses considering moving to the area.“We can help you access the expertise of organisations throughout the county and region that will further support your business,” she says.   

Those organisations include the Suffolk Development Agency, which can work with incoming companies to help them find the premises and resources they need. Meanwhile, East of England International – based in nearby Cambridge – offers advice and support to businesses targeting export markets. Suffolk Chamber of Commerce also offers a plethora of business services.