SEEDA Article

The following article originally appeared in SEEDA‘s "Hub Magazine" - Autumn/Winter 2004

Greenham Pleasant Land

Newbury Enterprise Hub is based in New Greenham Park, a 150-acre business park offering a selection of commercial property in the heart of the Thames Valley the Hub aims to become a centre of excellence in IT, mobile communications and rapid prototyping through the creation of specialist business clusters for advanced engineering, telecommunications and software.

Hub Name: Newbury Enterprise Hub
Hub Base: New Greenham Park
Hub Director: Ed Cooper
Hub Champion: Sir Peter Michael
Website: http://www.newburyhub.co.uk/

There can be few Enterprise Hubs situated in more interesting or emotive surroundings than that of Newbury Enterprise Hub. During the 1980s, Greenham Common air base was one of the most famous and controversial locations in Britain. From the nuclear debate to the role of women, the site generated a mass of news coverage.

It all began when, on 27 August 1981, 36 women, six men and four babies, set off from Cardiff to RAF Greenham Common to protest about the American ground launched cruise nuclear missiles to be deployed there. They asked for a debate on TV with the Government. This was refused and so they stayed, their numbers increasing daily, living outdoors in all weathers until 2000.

The Greenham Common Women’s Peace Camp became the focal point of massive anti-nuclear demonstrations. From 1981 through to the end of the decade, tens of thousands of women either lived at or visited the base and in 1982, some 30,000 women arrived en masse to ‘embrace the base’.

By 1990 the cruise missiles had gone, and in 1992 Greenham Common air base was declared redundant for military purposes and its fate hung in the balance. Concerned local people, aware that the common could be sold piecemeal for housing development and lost forever to the local community, formed Greenham Common Trust. The Trust purchased the former air base in March 1997, and the common has now been restored and reopened for the people of Newbury to enjoy again.

Not all of the military reminders have been erased, however. The Newbury Enterprise Hub offices are in a block called Venture West, the former command centre of the base. This was the home of the legendary ‘red button’, where any nuclear strike would be launched from. It was also the room with a direct line to the President of the United States. It means that the building is built to withstand a nuclear attack and has particular protection from chemical warfare. It is entirely self-contained and still has its own water/energy facilities. The nuclear bunker on site has recently opened as a secure data centre.

The Greenham Bunker will provide businesses across the region with the opportunity to locate their IT equipment in a high security environment, enabling them to host protected e-commerce websites and online business operations. The bunker is a state-of-the-art installation, purpose built with security in mind and originally constructed as an integral part of NATO‘s strategic communications network.

Ed Cooper, Director of the Newbury Hub, says: "Commerce has become progressively more dependent on IT, and the Internet now pervades every aspect of our lives. Computer security is an increasingly vital aspect of most corporate activities. This new centre will offer businesses industrial strength hosting capabilities combined with nuclear calibre security."

The concrete from the miles of runway on the base was dug up and re-used on the construction of the Newbury by-pass, but it left another mark on the area because the alkaline effect of the concrete on the soil created a rare lowland heath land. Covered in heather, it is a landscape reminiscent of a picturesque scene from the South of France. People have been known to go mushroom picking during their lunch break, and it is now possible to cycle to work from Newbury through the common, making the daily commute a joy rather than a struggle, particularly as many people working on the park arrive to outstanding views from their office windows.

Revision Number: 1.4 Created: 07/03/2005 11:23:20 Modified: 30/01/2006 15:57:15