As quickly as one year ends, a new one begins.
It’s fair to say 2019 was an eventful one in the world of Hull business.
The last 12 months has seen RB open its £105m Science & Innovation Centre, construction work start on historic safety equipment supplier Arco’s new £16m headquarters, and the Humber region’s clean energy sector reach new heights.
Elsewhere, Siemens had outline plans for its £200m train factory in Goole approved, and first power was generated at Hornsea Project One – the world’s largest offshore wind farm off the coast of East Yorkshire.
Blades for the site were made right here in Hull, at Siemens Gamesa’s Alexandra Dock facility.
With all the excitement of 2019 almost over, it is now time to look ahead to 2020.
But what can we expect to see happen in business in Hull and East Yorkshire over the next 12 months?
Here are some of the headlines to look out for.
Completion of Arco’s new £16m Hull headquarters
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Construction work on Arco’s new £16m Fruit Market headquarters started in November.
The project, once completed, will see around 500 members of staff at the historic safety equipment supplier move to the new site.
On the same site, a new multi-storey car park to support the continued growth of Hull’s Fruit Market area is also being built.
Work on Arco’s state-of-the-art new offices is expected to be completed in 2020. It will be quite a sight to behold once finished.
Final planning decision on Siemens’ £200m Goole train factory
One of the big headlines of 2019 in East Yorkshire was news that outline permission had been granted for a new £200m train factory in the town of Goole.
With the potential to create around 700 new jobs, the Siemens facility would initially create almost 100 tube trains for the Piccadilly Line in London.
If all goes to plan, construction of the factory – once full planning permission is received – could start in spring 2020.
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It is hoped the factory will be open in 2023, and fully operational in 2025.
Porsche and Mercedes-Benz opening new dealerships
With a combined investment of £18m in East Yorkshire, developer Lister Group is expected in 2020 to bring two new luxury car dealerships to the region.
First up is a new £8m Porsche dealership at the Bridgehead Business Park in Hessle.
The development will create an initial 35 jobs, with the potential for 15 more in the future.
Lister Group has announced its Porsche dealership – the first in East Yorkshire – will open its showroom doors on January 20.
2020 is also expected to bring with it the arrival of a new £10m Mercedes-Benz showroom at the nearby Melton West Business Park.
Bringing 25 further jobs, the double unveiling will see two prestige names commit to the area.
Official opening of the Aura Innovation Centre
Staying firmly on the theme of openings, January will see the £12m Aura Innovation Centre officially launched.
Based at the Bridgehead Business Park, the centre will provide a space for businesses to collaborate, innovate and create new solutions to tackle climate change and decarbonise industry.
Led by the University of Hull, alongside key industry partners, construction work on the Aura centre was completed in late 2019.
The official opening of the facility though, is pencilled in for January 2020. One to look out for at the start of the New Year.
C4DI and @TheDock expansion
In late November, work began on a new building which will provide a major fresh stimulus for the fast-growing tech sector in Hull.
The new three-storey sister building for Hull’s Centre for Digital Innovation (C4DI) will create much-needed space for start-up and rapidly-growing established digital businesses.
It underlines the impact the first C4DI building has had as the focal point and flagship for the city's digital economy and the wider region.
The 20,000 sq ft building developed by regeneration company Wykeland Group will extend the tech-based campus in the Fruit Market area.
Construction is expected to be completed in 2020. Once finished, around 160 new jobs could be created.
Castle Street bridge unveiling
Keeping the spotlight on Hull’s Fruit Market, one of the stand-out spectacles of 2019 was the city’s new Castle Street bridge being swung into place.
Providing a crucial link between the city centre and Fruit Market area, the bridge spans one of the Hull’s busiest roads.
Part-funded with a £4m contribution from the Humber Local Enterprise Partnership’s local growth fund programme, the cost of the bridge was covered by Whitehall growth deals and part of the Government’s commitment to the Northern Powerhouse.
The bridge is due to open in Spring 2020 and will be given a prestigious name.
Hornsea Project One fully commissioned
The world’s largest offshore wind farm is expected to be fully commissioned in 2020.
Located off the East Yorkshire coast, Hornsea One will span a huge area of approximately 407 square kilometres - over five times the size of the city of Hull.
The offshore wind farm features seven megawatt (MW) wind turbines, with each one 190 metres tall – larger than the Humber Bridge’s concrete towers.
It will generate up to 1.2GW of clean electricity. Hornsea Project One commissioning is one of the big milestones we can expect to see in the Humber region in 2020.
Construction starting on Hornsea Project Two
Hornsea Project One may not hold the title of the world’s largest offshore wind farm for long.
As quickly as one offshore wind chapter is finished, another one begins.
Construction is due to start in 2020 on Hornsea Project Two.
A total of 165 turbines will have the capacity to generate enough power to supply 1.3 million homes.
The majority of the blades will come from Hull, with Siemens Gamesa the supplier.
Despite having fewer turbines than Hornsea One, it will use a newly manufactured larger blade to generate more power. The blades have been specifically developed and are around the same length as 10 buses.
Lagoon Hull
No, not quite the completion of Lagoon Hull, but 2020 will doubtless see new developments when it comes to the ambitious £1.5bn infrastructure project.
The scheme proposes to build a new four-lane road out in to the Humber Estuary, bypassing Hull city centre.
It would also create space for port expansion in Hull, new leisure and living opportunities along the waterfront, and vital flood protection for the city and wider region.
Supporters say the scheme would provide a major long-term boost for the city by helping to create 14,000 jobs, reducing congestion and ensuring enhanced long-term flood protection.
They also claim it could add an extra £1bn a year into the region's economy through improved productivity.
Plans were shown to the public for the first time in late 2019.
Fair to say Lagoon Hull is in its early stages. But 2020 could see more details about the bold project unveiled.
How to contact Phil Winter and Business Live
Business Live's Hull & East Yorkshire journalist is Phil Winter, also the business editor at the Hull Daily Mail and Hull Live.
You can follow Phil on Twitter @PhilWinterBiz, or on Linkedin by clicking .
Alternatively, email him on philip.winter@reachplc.com, or call 01482 315360.
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