Delivering Economic Impact
At Down Business Centre, our mission is to support the economic development of the Newry, Mourne and Down District Council area. Although we are involved in projects throughout the Council area, we focus primarily on the east of the region which encompasses Ballynahinch, Saintfield, Killyleagh, Strangford, Downpatrick, Castlewellan, Newcastle and the surrounding areas.
Our role is three-fold:
- to provide and manage a business centre of serviced light industrial, commercial and office accommodation for fledgling and growing SME businesses
- to promote self-employment and to encourage local people to explore the potential for setting up their own businesses and thereafter to support them as they move forward in turning their business dream into a reality
- to support local businesses as they seek to grow, enhancing the skills of their management and staff, helping them on their journey to developing new products, new processes and new markets and signposting potential sources of business finance.
Down Business Centre was established in 1986. We are a charity and we are self-financing. We do not receive direct Government aid. Throughout our nearly 35 year history we have sustained the organisation through rent received from our tenant businesses and by delivering a wide range of economic and social development programmes. Our partners in the delivery of such programmes includes Newry, Mourne and Down District Council, Newry and Mourne Enterprise Agency, Invest Northern Ireland, Enterprise Northern Ireland, InterTradeIreland, Neighbourhood Renewal and the South East Area European Maritime and Fisheries Fund. Any surplus funds are reinvested in the organisation and also used to engage and support the local business community often free of charge.
