HALO Urban Regeneration (

Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic ( gd, Gàidhlig ), also known as Scots Gaelic and Gaelic, is a Goidelic language (in the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family) native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, as well ...

: ''HALO Ath-nuadhachadh Bailteil''), known simply as ''The HALO'', is a Scottish business innovation park,

urban regeneration Urban renewal (also called urban regeneration in the United Kingdom and urban redevelopment in the United States) is a program of land redevelopment often used to address urban decay in cities. Urban renewal involves the clearing out of bligh ...

and business start-up support company, founded, based and headquartered in Kilmarnock,

East Ayrshire East Ayrshire ( sco, Aest Ayrshire; gd, Siorrachd Àir an Ear) is one of thirty-two council areas of Scotland. It shares borders with Dumfries and Galloway, East Renfrewshire, North Ayrshire, South Ayrshire and South Lanarkshire. The headquar ...

, Scotland. The HALO Urban Regeneration was founded by entrepreneur Marie Macklin CBE in 2006 as HALO Urban Regeneration Company Ltd., having announced the project a few years prior to official funding and creation of the HALO Kilmarnock.£5.3 million for Kilmarnock HALO regeneration project - East Ayrshire Council News
/ref> HALO is projected to generate £205 million to the

Economy of Scotland The economy of Scotland is an Open economy, open mixed economy which, in 2020, had an estimated nominal gross domestic product (GDP) of $205 billion including oil and gas extraction in Scottish waters. Since the Acts of Union 1707, Scotland's ...

and stimulate 1,500 jobs.

History

HALO Scotland

Following the 2009 announcement of the closure of the

Johnnie Walker Johnnie Walker is a brand of Scotch whisky now owned by Diageo that originated in the Scottish burgh of Kilmarnock in East Ayrshire. The brand was first established by grocer John Walker. It is the most widely distributed brand of blended Sc ...

whisky bottling unit and production factory in Kilmarnock, owners Diageo began seeking proposals for future leasing of the Hill Street site that occupied that 32-acre site at that time. Diageo gifted eight acres to Kilmarnock College (a campus of Ayrshire College since 2013) in 2012 to allow the construction of a new multi-million pound campus to replace the ageing building that was constructed during the 1960s. Marie Macklin CBE, Chief Executive of The KLIN Group at the time, who had already undertaken numerous projects in and around Kilmarnock to restore derelict buildings in the town centre, submitted a proposal for a new, innovative hub to provide office space for startup companies and opportunities to enhance Kilmarnock's urban regeneration work. A planning application for permission for construction work on the new project was submitted to the planning advisory board of

East Ayrshire Council East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the f ...

, was planning permission granted by the council in 2018. The cost of the development was estimated to be £65 million, with the Scottish Government announcing a £5.3 million investment in the HALO Project in August 2017, with £1.8 million to be focused on low carbon emissions which was ultimately unused. Morrison Construction was appointed as main contractors for the construction of the complex in September 2019, with construction work initially scheduled to be completed by January 2021, however this was delayed as a result of the halt on construction works in Scotland due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

and phase one opened March 2022 The HALO Urban Regeneration benefitted as part of the ''Ayrshire Growth Deal'', an economic recovery agreement between the Scottish Government, UK Government and the councils of East Ayrshire, North Ayrshire and South Ayrshire, with the Scottish Government and UK Government both providing £3.5 million of investment for the company and the regeneration of the former Johnnie Walker site. Diageo who owned the land when occupied by the former Johnnie Walker bottling and production plant facility donated the land for a cost of £1 and under the ''Ayrshire Growth Deal'' has been committed to a contribution of £2 million to support planning and design of the HALO development as well as long-term sustainability of the Hill Street site as a consequence for closing the Johnnie Walker facility.

HALO Northern Ireland

A second HALO project is scheduled to begin planning and construction in

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

Upcoming expansion

The HALO is scheduled to begin planning and construction of new premises to focus on urban regeneration projects in both

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

and

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. The timescale for completion on these projects in England, Wales and Northern Ireland have still to be announced.

Services

Key services

The Halo Urban Regeneration is founded with a particular focus on: * Urban regeneration of Kilmarnock and Ayrshire * Providing business and financial support for small startup businesses * Office space for companies * Residential houses * Live Work Studios (#RockMe) * Education and employment programmes * Urban Park, including entrepreneurial businesses from computer technology, cyber research, engineering, fashion, financial services and light manufacturing * A Fashion Foundry for small businesses designing, producing and retailing fashionwear and providing training skills for the new digital age will complement the digital retail boutique shopping arcade. * A Children's Innovation Centre will engage with young people of all ages, from eco-nursery through to higher education, working in partnership with local schools, colleges and universities. * Leisure and community amenities will include a WAVE Surf water feature built to Olympic training standards, as well as a skateboard park and other activity areas for all ages.

Business intentions

The HALO Urban Regeneration has a particular focus on, and intention to: * Provide flexible, affordable workspace in an inspiring environment for entrepreneurs with spin-out, start-up and step-up businesses. * Produce an informed and skilled supply of employment-ready young people to sharpen the technical and commercial competitive edges of businesses, especially in the retail and business service sectors. * Create and sustain leading-edge learning facilities and opportunities to support widening access and inclusive growth for all communities, but particularly raising aspirations of children and young adults.

Business partnerships

The HALO Urban Regeneration has established business partnerships with various companies and organisations to support the business in its key business strategy. Most notably, HALO Urban Regeneration focuses on education and youth employment opportunities and includes partners such as: *

* The Scottish Government * The

UK Government ga, Rialtas a Shoilse gd, Riaghaltas a Mhòrachd , image = HM Government logo.svg , image_size = 220px , image2 = Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (HM Government).svg , image_size2 = 180px , caption = Royal Arms , date_est ...

* Diageo *

Scottish Power Scottish Power is a vertically integrated energy company based in Glasgow, Scotland. It is a subsidiary of Spanish utility firm Iberdrola. ScottishPower is the distribution network operator for Central and Southern Scotland, Merseyside, Nor ...

* CGIThe HALO Scotland announces partnership with CGI that’s out of this world
/ref> * Onecom * Scottish Business Resilience Centre * Barclays A business partnership in association with

makes the energy company the main HALO Platinum Partner and Sponsor. Scottish Power launched a £5 million, five-year programme, with a focus on building and enhancing the companies focus and vision of “Utility of the Future” vision. The Halo Urban Regeneration claim that the company will be a leader in the HALO Innovation and Enterprise Centre and the Digital and Cyber Zone. HALO and Scottish Power have committed to working together to create a cyber and digital training and learning facility, at the forefront of the ‘Fourth Industrial Revolution’. The HALO Urban Regeneration developed a partnership with Barclays in order to enhance HALO's employability initiatives for individuals in Ayrshire, seeks to eradicate barriers those facing unemployment of any age many experience, through Barclays LifeSkills, allowing individuals to access education and digital technology. Additionally, the Barclays-HALO partnership seeks to help start-up and scale-up entrepreneurial businesses to capitalise on growth opportunities, as well as enhancing connectivity and collaboration with other businesses locally and across the UK. In 2019, Barclays launched their first ''Thriving Local Economies'' initiative in Kilmarnock as a result of their partnership with The Halo Urban Regeneration,Barclays launches Scotland’s first Thriving Local Economies in Kilmarnock - Halo Scotland
/ref> with a particular focus on strategies to boost and enhance the economy of Kilmarnock.

Economic performance

The HALO Urban Regeneration company aims to create and sustain over 1,500 jobs within Kilmarnock as well as a projected contribution of £205 million in

Gross Domestic Product Gross domestic product (GDP) is a monetary measure of the market value of all the final goods and services produced and sold (not resold) in a specific time period by countries. Due to its complex and subjective nature this measure is oft ...

revenue to the

Ayrshire College

As part of the sale of the 32-acre site by Diageo, Ayrshire College was granted part of the site which neighbours the HQ and office space of The Halo Urban Regeneration. Due to the close proximity and sharing the site, the company has formed an ambitious partnership with Ayrshire College to ensure the integration of the college with The HALO Urban Regeneration to progress a deep range of practical learning experiences for students, as well as developing new qualifications for Ayrshire College students, ranging from qualifications within the construction section, digital skills market, as well as social care and design. The HALO Urban Regeneration seeks to create a skilled workforce within Kilmarnock and Ayrshire as a result of its educational and business partnership with Ayrshire College. In 2020, an NPA qualification was founded in collaboration with The HALO Urban Regeneration, Ayrshire College and construction contractors Morrisons Construction, with students able to access work placements on site during the construction process site.

Board of management

Marie Macklin CBE, founder and executive chair The current board composition of the HALO Urban Regeneration consists of: * Dr. Marie Macklin

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

, Founder and executive chair * Derek Weir,

Managing director A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

* Drew Macklin, Project director * Gary Deans, Financial and enterprise director * Bill Stafford,

non-executive director A non-executive director (abbreviated to non-exec, NED or NXD), independent director or external director is a member of the board of directors of a corporation, such as a company, cooperative or non-government organization, but not a member of th ...

* Jim McMahon,

References

{{reflist Buildings and structures in Kilmarnock Companies of Scotland Organisations based in East Ayrshire 2015 establishments in Scotland Economy of Scotland Business organisations based in Scotland Urban renewal Redevelopment Government aid programs Entrepreneurship organizations Buildings and structures completed in 2021