Grow, Connect, Flourish

Welcome to Invest in Huntingdonshire. Our district is an exceptionally well-connected location, with a diverse talent pool, offering a superior quality of life in bustling market towns and lots of viable growth space to choose from. Discover what our region can offer your growing business.

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Why Huntingdonshire

Situated between the internationally renowned innovation hub of Cambridge with its technology and life sciences R&D base and the clean-tech cluster in Peterborough, Huntingdonshire is home to the largest cluster of manufacturing businesses in Cambridgeshire. It has a unique blend of businesses operating in key sectors including life sciences, technology, advanced manufacturing, food and drink and agritech. These sectors are supported by a growing base of sustainable transport and logistics providers, finance and business support organisations ready to support you.

1

Smart, Strategic Location

Huntingdonshire is superbly located on the transport spine of the country. It lies on key north-south and east-west axis of road and rail links, within easy reach (one tacho there and back) of eastern seaports, including the UK’s largest container port at Felixstowe, and within a 2 hour drive of eight international airports.

2

Fast growing, diverse talent pool

The district offers a highly skilled workforce of a million people within an hour’s drive with skills 20% above national average, has 25 centres of academic excellence nearby including Cambridge and Cranfield, and is within the only UK region represented in the EU’s top 10 R&D regions.

3

Superior quality of life

One of the standout characteristics of Huntingdonshire is our historic and scenic market towns. With riverside locations, a mix of independent and national brands on thriving high streets with multiple market days and many pubs, bars, cafés and restaurants, the district is a truly inspiring place to work and live.

4

Lots of viable growth space

Huntingdonshire is open for business, with 20.6m sq ft of business floor space, lots of development land opportunity and a strong public/private sector partnership in place to support an innovative and dynamic economy including access to competitively priced commercial property and a 150 hectare Enterprise Zone.

Key Sectors

Manufacturing

Manufacturing is Huntingdonshire’s heritage and foundation sector. It has a mixture of long-established businesses that have been innovating for decades. This cluster boasts an enviable mix of strong traditional craft and skilled engineering labour pool that has attracted a new wave of R&D intensive businesses utilising advanced manufacturing methods to create a range of products (materials, composites etc) for the automotive, aerospace, medical, defence and technology sectors.

Huntingdonshire has a diversity of world class design, research and development and manufacturing, supporting over 13,000 manufacturing jobs – 15.3% of total employment, well above both the regional and national average.

Technology

Huntingdonshire is a flourishing technology hub on the northern edge of the silicon fen – the high-tech hotspot around Cambridge. High tech businesses are well represented with a variety of sectors including high value manufacturing, bio/life sciences, clean tech and ICT at the forefront. It has 25 centres of academic excellence nearby including Cambridge and Cranfield for access to knowledge and staff. It is also an ideal alternative to the high-priced central Cambridge locations and provides lots of the necessary combined industrial, warehousing and office spaces, needed by tech companies to develop their products and services.

Sustainable Logistics

Huntingdonshire-based businesses are perfectly supported by the existing cluster of logistics and distribution companies. The transport infrastructure is second to none, being the key intersection of the north-south and east-west axis of road and rail links, including the A1(M), A14, M11, and the East Coast Mainline, giving easy access to London, Cambridge, the Midlands, and the North. Importantly, the Eastern seaports are all within easy reach including the UK’s largest container port at Felixstowe handling approximately 40% of the UK’s container trade.

Life Sciences

The region is ideally placed for Life Sciences businesses who need to be close to the Cambridge Life Science cluster. Our existing cluster includes diagnostic, drug development, manufacture of reagents, clinical research services and remote monitoring systems to name a few, with the likes of LabCorp, Aseptika and NBS Biologicals based in the district. With lots of viable and affordable growth space, Huntingdonshire is playing a significant role as home to manufacturing and support services for a life science sector moving towards personalised medicine. Particularly, now that the A14/M11 has been upgraded to provide even faster road access to the cluster.

Why Charpak Chose Huntingdonshire

The technology and advanced manufacturing company Charpak, based in Huntingdon, is an award-winning family business making thermoform packaging and is responsible for creating the UK’s first localised circular economy. Read more about their journey from St Neots-based toy manufacturer to a modern, dynamic packaging company transforming waste into resource in Huntingdon.

Why Charpak Chose Huntingdonshire

Our Support Services

Our dedicated Economic Development team provide a free service offering data and insights, help and support to ensure your relocation to, or expansion within, the district is as effortless and seamless as possible.

High quality regional data and insights

Access to funding and financial support

Access a well-connected network of partners

Ongoing 'aftercare' to support your move

Up-to-date property/space availability

Find a Property or Space

Whatever your space requirement, we can support your business by helping to locate a wide range of available commercial property across Huntingdonshire, from offices, warehouses, industrial facilities, lab spaces to shops, pubs, hotels, cafés, bars and restaurants.

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Find a Property or Space

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News & Events

Shop Local and Save on Commercial Waste with HDC

05/02/2025

Local businesses in Huntingdonshire can now benefit from exclusive savings on their commercial waste collection, thanks to a new initiative by Huntingdonshire District Council (HDC). The Commercial Waste Team has partnered with the Economic Development team to offer discounted fees for businesses that sign up in their first year.

WLP Launches Payroll Impact Estimator to Help Businesses Assess Annual Costs

04/02/2025

The announcement of a rise in employer National Insurance (NI) contributions is a concern for UK SMEs. Business owners and directors are faced with the pressure of balancing profitability with rising overhead costs, especially when it comes to meeting payroll commitments.

Chamber Manufacturing Breakfast and Tour

20/03/2025

Join Cambridgeshire Chambers of Commerce for breakfast and a tour of IKO Insulations UK Ltd. This event is exclusively for manufacturers.

Cambridgeshire Chambers of Commerce: International Women’s Day 2025

07/03/2025

International Women’s Day (8 March) is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. Join Cambridgeshire Chambers of Commerce for their annual celebration when we’ll come together to share stories, insights, knowledge, connect and support, with the 2025 theme being ‘Accelerating Action’.

News & Events