Tees Valley Enterprise Zone
Business Rate Discount Form
The purpose of this form is to establish whether your business is eligible for a Business Rate Discount (BRD) on the Tees Valley Enterprise Zone. Our intention is to make decisions promptly; however this is entirely dependent on the ALL necessary information being provided and therefore we request that all efforts are made to accurately and fully complete the form before submission in order to avoid any further delays on decisions made. You can get help in completing this form from your local council. Click Enterprise Zone contacts for further details.
Please note when completing the form:
· Minimum font size to be used is 11.
· ALL questions need to be completed
· The maximum submission is 10 pages (up to the section ‘The Agreement’).
Contact Details
Business/Organisation NameRegistered trading name (if different)
Company registration number
VAT number
Contact Name
Position in Business
Alternative contact(s)
Head Office (HO) Address
Address of company site which would be looking to relocate on to the Enterprise Zone (if different from HO)
Telephone
Mobile
Website
Background Information
1. Which of the Sector Definitions* does your company satisfy and how?*Please refer to the Sector definitions for further details
2. Why are you seeking to move into the Enterprise Zone?
3. How did you hear about the Enterprise Zone?
4. Which Enterprise Zone site are you particularly interested in moving to?
(Please refer to the EZ_map for reference)
5. Which property or plot are you looking to locate to?
6. When are you planning to locate to the Enterprise Zone?
7. Are you intending to construct a new property or extend existing premises?
If so, have you submitted an appropriate Planning Application or sought a Certificate of Conformity* to the planning authority for the scheme?
*A Certificate of Conformity is needed for Enterprise Zone sites that are subject to a Local Development Order; other sites will need planning consent. Please click here for details on planning regimes across the Enterprise Zone.
Business Information
8. Please detail briefly when your business was formed and its history to date (including major developments) max 250 words9. What are your current business activities and what markets do you operate in?
10. What is the floorspace size (in m2) of your current business premises and what floorspace would you require if you were to move to the EZ site?
11. What are the growth plans for the business over the next 5 years?
Please include:
· How you intend to deliver the growth required (see Growth Criteria);
· Details of market research undertaken & opportunities identified;
· Amount of capital investment to be made;
· Details of new products/services being developed;
· Details of new markets to be targeted;
· The consequences of not proceeding with the expansion project to your business.
12. How many employees does your business have (both full time and part time)?
(Please note: a full time employee is someone who works 30 hours or more a week)
Existing
Full Time=FT
Part Time=PT
13. If you are planning to create new jobs within your business by moving to the Enterprise Zone site* please forecast these over a 5 year timescale.
*Note: employment growth is part of the Eligibility_criteria for businesses already located in the Tees Valley
[please enter year] / [please enter year] / [please enter year] / [please enter year] / [please enter year]
Full Time=FT
Part Time=PT
14. Please state what types of jobs you are planning to create
Job Title / Qualification / NVQ skills level / Full time (FT) or Part Time (PT) / Basic Annual Salary
15. If you are planning to sub contract work as part of your business operation, please give details of the types of work that you will sub-contract. If you are not planning to do this, please state ‘not applicable’.
Financial Information
16. Please detail your business turnover and net profit after tax for the last 3 years[please enter year] / [please enter year] / [please enter year]
Turnover (£)
Net Profit after tax (£)
17. Please detail your business’s projected turnover and net profit after tax for the next 5 years
[please enter year] / [please enter year] / [please enter year] / [please enter year] / [please enter year]
Turnover (£)
Net Profit after tax (£)
18. Please provide details of how your business venture will be funded. You will need to identify the sources of funding. Confirmation of funding approval may also be required.
19. Have you received any state aid / de minimis state aid during the last three years please indicate the date the aid was received, the amount of aid and the scheme title. If you have not received any state aid (de minimis or otherwise) please enter “None”.
Further information about state aid, including examples of possible forms of assistance which could comprise state aid can be found at www.bis.gov.uk/policies/europe/state-aid. The BIS publication “The State Aid Guide” June 2011 and “State Aid – A Beginner’s Guide” June 2010 are also useful sources of information.
Scheme / Date Aid was received / Amount (£)
The Agreement
I hereby declare that to the best of my knowledge and belief the information provided in this form is accurate and true and fairly and reasonably represents the circumstances of my business. I also confirm that I have taken all reasonable steps to ensure that I am in possession of all relevant information before making this declaration.
I understand that the provision of Business Rate Discount may constitute a State Aid within the meaning of Article 107 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (The TFEU). I further understand that there are legal limits in respect of the amount of State Aid that can be received. I understand that I have a duty to declare any State Aid that my business has received in the last three years. I understand that if I knowingly or deliberately make a false statement regarding State Aid or the State Aid measure is declared unlawful that action may be taken against the business, including but not limited to action to recover the aid from the business with interest running from the date the aid was given.
PLEASE NOTE: approval to receive a Business Rate Discount is subject to conditions and I understand that any business seeking to locate to the Enterprise Zone must meet the eligibility criteria before they are granted the appropriate discount. Furthermore, I understand that any pre-approval on Business Rate Discount made prior to secondary legislation of the Localism Act 2011 is subject to change. In such cases the business will be notified of the change and where necessary a further Agreement will have to be signed.
I understand that if my business requires a Local Development Order or a Planning Performance Agreement the business will not be eligible for a discount until these are in place. I understand that if the business is eligible to receive a Business Rate Discount, it will be for 12 months; after which time the eligibility of the discount will be reviewed. An Annual Evaluation Form must be submitted in order to receive the following 12 month discount and the maximum consecutive period for any discount will be for 5 years.
I confirm that I am authorised to agree to the terms and conditions detailed above on behalf of the business. I further confirm that I am an authorised signatory within the business with full power and authority to make this declaration.
Signed
Print Name
Position
Date
Please indicate if you consent for your business to be included
in any Enterprise Zone publicity.
Guidance for
Completing the EZ Business Plan Form
Enterprise Zone
Sector Definitions
Advanced Engineering/Advanced Manufacturing
1. Firstly, the terms advanced engineering and advanced manufacturing should be regarded as inter-changeable.
2. At the top end of the spectrum, advanced engineering can be defined simply as “manufacturing that entails rapid transfer of science and technology into manufacturing products and processes.” (PCAST, April 2010). Applying this as an eligibility criterion would give the purest form of advanced engineering, but would be perhaps too restrictive for an economy where more traditional companies are being supported to move towards becoming advanced.
3. A more rounded definition is provided by the US based National Association of Advanced Manufacturing, as “the advanced engineering entity makes extensive use of computers, high precision, and information technologies integrated with a high performance workforce in a production system capable of furnishing a heterogeneous mix of products in small or large volumes with both the efficiency of mass production and the flexibility of custom engineering in order to respond quickly to customer demands.” This definition is perhaps more applicable to the current situation in Tees Valley.
4. A simpler, complementary definition could be seen as “the use of recently developed techniques and equipment to produce commodities generally considered to be high tech, complex or difficult to make” (AED International, 2011).
5. To assist in identifying an advanced engineering company, some of the following characteristics should be in evidence:
￭ Companies undertaking advanced engineering maintain an ongoing commitment to research and development, often with dedicated R&D functions and strong relationships with commercial and academic research institutions.
￭ The companies will utilise technology to improve the production methodologies and day-to-day techniques they use to manufacture their goods.
￭ It is probable that an advanced engineering company will employ a highly experienced and creative work force who are able to apply a high degree of innovation and problem solving to their daily production tasks.
￭ Most advanced engineering firms will operate in an added-value section of the manufacturing economy, have a high rate of technology adoption and the ability to use that technology to retain competitive advantage.
Back to Question 1.
Chemicals
1. The chemical, pharmaceutical & biotechnology sector, also known as the process sector, is one of the largest industries in the North East. The sector involves cutting-edge developments in biotechnology, medicine, nanotechnology, and new energy sources. These are the chemistry using industries of chemicals, fine & speciality chemicals, petrochemicals, polymers and composites, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, bioresources, biofuels and renewable energy and low carbon materials. (Source; One North East/NEPIC)
2. The sector is knowledge driven, high added value and includes the following;
￭ Research and design including laboratory based research.
￭ Feedstock production predominately oil refinery products and hydrocarbon gases, but also including minerals, water, air, coal and biological feedstocks – into a number of primary building blocks. These include basic petrochemicals, methanol, hydrogen, ammonia, nitric acid, and other gases such as chlorine.
￭ The primary building blocks are in turn converted into a range of industrial products, such as, plastics and rubber and intermediate chemicals which are in themselves important building blocks for specialist products targeted directly at the needs of specific manufacturing processes or consumers. These include speciality chemicals (such as pharmaceuticals) and consumer products (such as personal care items, paint and photographic goods).
￭ As well as describing the chemical industry in terms of product characteristics, it is also commonly defined as either ‘organic’ (mostly based on oil feedstock) and ‘inorganic’ (based on other feedstocks).
3. A key part of the Chemicals/Process sector is the emerging biotechnology industry. A detailed general definition of “Biotechnology” is The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO, the industry's advocacy group) defines biotechnology as "the use of the cellular and molecular processes to solve problems or make products."2 Included in this definition of the industry are firms that use cells and biological molecules for applications in medicine, agriculture and environmental management. (Source; Biotechnology Industry Organisation)
4. For the purpose of the Chemistry Innovation Sustainable Technologies Roadmap 2007 the UK chemical industry is divided into four principal sectors; each of which will exploit technology in different ways.
￭ Pharmaceuticals - Chemicals and formulated products to prevent or treat disease conditions and to promote health. This is a highly innovative sector, with a constant need to find novel active ingredients and new ways to deliver drugs.
￭ Consumer products - Products sold directly to consumers, including cosmetics, cleaning products, paints and adhesives, but excluding foods and fuels.
￭ Specialty chemicals - Specialty chemicals are sold on what they do, rather than what they are and what they cost. Performance is the important issue. Specialty chemicals are sold in lower volumes and at higher value than commodity chemicals. Innovation is key and the attraction for this sector is the potential of green chemical technologies to open up new areas of chemistry.
￭ Commodity chemicals - Chemicals produced in high volumes and sold on the basis of specification and price.
5. To assist in identifying chemical/process companies, some of the following characteristics should be in evidence:
￭ Maintain an ongoing commitment to research and development, often with dedicated R&D functions and strong relationships with commercial and academic research institutions.
￭ The companies will utilise technology to improve the production methodologies and day-to-day techniques they use to manufacture their goods.
￭ It is probable chemical/process industry company will employ a highly experienced and creative work force who are able to apply a high degree of innovation and problem solving to their daily production tasks.
￭ Most chemical/process industry firms will operate in an added-value section of the manufacturing economy, have a high rate of technology adoption and the ability to use that technology to retain competitive advantage.
6. Appropriate uses for the Tees Valley Enterprise Zone will include the manufacture of equipment, design, construction installation, management and operation of chemical/process facilities. It is not anticipated that raw material storage facilities would be supported unless there was a compelling need for this element of the supplier chain to be in close proximity to a research and development or significant manufacturing facility.