Small business communities have the power to transform local economies.

This is why we are so excited to launch our SiGNAL community in Aldershot in September.

We want to position small businesses at the heart of the successful regeneration of this town centre.

We want SiGNAL to become the beating heart of Aldershot.

If you have visited Aldershot town centre recently you will know that there is a huge transformation already underway, led by Rushmoor Borough Council and funded externally by the Housing Infrastructure Fund (£5m)  and the Enterprise M3 Local Enterprise Partnership (£1.2 m).

The central Union Yard regeneration will see the comprehensive redevelopment of a key area of Aldershot town centre creating a new, revitalised, and vibrant space.

Union Yard will offer 100 new homes, retail and public space, a creative hub for local makers, and over 120 flats for students.

One of the key features will be a public square and dedicated space for small and independent businesses.

If you haven’t been recently , go take a look! There are some really great new additions to the High Street already, including an amazing fishmonger and a vegan cake shop.

Local construction company owner Gary Newell is on the Aldershot task force (a group of businesspeople working alongside the Rushmoor Partnership to deliver successful regeneration). We caught up with him to get his thoughts on the future of Aldershot.

‘Now the construction phase is coming to an end in the town some great opportunities and possibilities for business are opening up.  I personally think it looks great, and certainly it is already a vast improvement on what was here before. UCA Students will bring a vibrant atmosphere and footfall for local business. They will also link Aldershot with affluent Farnham in a way that hasn’t been done before. I also love the cycle paths that will bring people down from the new builds on the Wellesley estate right into the town centre. It’s a great project to be a part of and one I feel passionate about, having lived in Aldershot all my life’. 

There’s also a fantastic market on a Thursday and a great number of top Asian supermarkets and restaurants - especially Nepalese, thanks to the big Nepalese community there. 

Like Gary, we believe there will be plenty of opportunities here for local businesses to participate in the redevelopment and the resulting town centre expansion - and our events will focus on bringing people together to facilitate this.

Initially SiGNAL will hold a monthly networking meeting for businesses and other stakeholders, then gradually we will open some flexible and affordable workspaces across the town. Eventually we plan to have a central business hub with co-working and event space as well.

We warmly invite you to join us at our opening event on September 13th at The Holiday Inn. You'll have the opportunity to see firsthand how we’ve made progress so far, and we’ll be discussing our future role in the development of Aldershot. We look forward to sharing our achievements with you and answering any questions you may have.