THE council has provided an update on a business centre that has had vacant units since a healthcare company occupying the space went bust. 

The former Barrow Borough Council invested 40 per cent into the £3.5mil project to build Waterfront Gateway Business Centre on Harding Rise in Barrow Island. 

It was occupied by Me and My Health Hub, under health care company Circular1, until the business entered administration in March 2023. 

A spokesperson from the current council said: "The building was transferred to Westmorland and Furness Council on 1 April 2023.  It will shortly be placed back on the market for prospective tenants to contact the council regarding leasing space."

The building was completed in 2020 on a redeveloped docklands site near BAE. Other than the money put in by Barrow Borough Council the European Regional Development Fund also contributed to the project. The rent charged to tenants by the council is a means to recoup the investment. 

Waterfront Gateway Business Centre offers 16,000 sq ft of space catering for around 28 separate units. 

READ MORE: Circular 1 seeks administration 'as soon as possible'

According to Barrow Borough Council before the building opened: "The development will initially provide two blocks of flexible space, while a third block also has planning consent and could be delivered in a second phase in future, subject to funding and further demand.

"Designed by Kendal-based Mellor Architects, the space will be targeted at existing small to medium companies looking to relocate to larger premises, in a move that will address a shortage of business space in the town."

Circular1 moved its health hub into the building in December 2022, months before the company ended. 

It did not pay its staff for two months before the company was eventually passed to administrators. The company provided Covid-19 tests for businesses during the pandemic. Despite attempts to change its business model when demand for tests began to slow down, it was unsuccessful in finding investors.