A Roundswell business hub has reached capacity just four months after its £2.1m extension has opened – showing the growing demand for modern workspace in North Devon.
Node Cowork on Enterprise Road first opened its doors to members in October 2021 and offers hireable offices, coworking and expert business support to champion entrepreneurship in Barnstaple and support the local economy.
Since opening, the hub has surpassed 50 members in its coworking space and seen its other offices reach capacity, prompting the need for expansion.
All 5,780 sq ft of the new office space which opened in June 2023 has now been let which includes large flexible offices, a meeting room, a kitchen and facilities. The extension to the building officially opened in May and was funded through investment from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership, and us.
The news has been hailed as a testament to the strong entrepreneurial culture and growing demand for modern, flexible office space in North Devon.
One of the companies taking a significant amount of the new space is the digital direct mail platform, Stannp.com. The business has seen its headcount grow by a quarter in the last two years to 53 members of staff with its customer base more than doubling.
Stannp.com operates across the UK, US and Canada and now bases itself out of Node in Barnstaple. Sam Heaton, Growth Director at Stannp.com said spaces such as Node and the impressive local talent pool were proof that North Devon should not be overlooked as a thriving hub for business.
Sam said, “As a tech-first company, we were looking for somewhere modern that had a real energy and a feel of innovation about it. Node exceeded our expectations – it’s so refreshing to be around other like-minded companies, not just socially but in the collaborative opportunities that come with the sharing of local knowledge and ideas.
“Despite working across the UK and the US, we’ve never wanted to leave North Devon – the access to talent here often gets overlooked, and I feel that the more spaces we have like the Enterprise Hub, the more opportunity we will have to get this talent together and do some incredible things.”
Node Cowork is operated by coworking and business support specialist Town Square Spaces Ltd (TownSq) on our behalf.
Node’s General Manager Julian Dymond said: “It feels like only a few months ago I was talking about how excited we were to see Node reaching capacity ahead of the extension opening – and that’s because it was!
“Our coworking space is growing and has a real buzz about it, our meeting rooms are becoming increasingly popular and our offices are oversubscribed. Though I would always encourage people looking for space to give us a call, as with over 40 offices and 30 coworking desks – we can always find a way to help.
“This really does show how when you create a modern space run for and by businesses, you can create something special. This project has helped showcase Barnstaple and North Devon as a thriving hub for business, and all the members, community and stakeholders should feel very proud to be involved – I know I am.”
Councillor Rufus Gilbert, Devon County Council Cabinet Member for Economic Recovery and Skills, said:
“It’s a wonderful achievement for Node to be at capacity, just a matter of months after the opening of its extension. It speaks volumes for what Node is providing local businesses and justifies our investment in this enterprise centre. It’s more than matching our ambitions to support the growth of local businesses and the North Devon economy.
“It’s great to extend a warm welcome to Stannp as the latest company to move to Node. They and all of the businesses at the centre recognise that Node not only offers modern facilities, but also valuable networking opportunities. Of course, thanks must go to TownSq and Julian, their community manager at Node, for making such a success of running the centre – long may it continue.”
To find out more about Node or to book a tour, you can visit nodecowork.co.uk or contact the hub at barnstaple@townsq.co.uk or 01271 452442.