The changing role of business premises in facilitating new business start ups and enterprise development has been the topic of recent research in Cumbria

Investment in business premises has long been a key component of interventions designed to stimulate enterprise development in local economies. Despite the pandemic and its impact on business use of premises, there still appears to be considerable interest in “business incubation” – the provision of physical premises that are designed to nurture new firms in the early stages of development often co-located with more mature businesses. Approaches to business incubation have changed over time. In the 1980s, first generation incubators focused on providing affordable space and hard infrastructure with minimal site services. During the 1990s, it became more common for the supply of premises to include a wider range of on-site business services and business advice.