Expert Office Advice

Vital stats and business information for companies considering relocation to or setting up an office in St. Albans.

The City and District of St. Albans is very modern even if it is Hertfordshire’s oldest town. It is actually the first major town on the old Roman road of Watling Street for travelers heading north to the Roman city of Verulamium so that it is now very popular as a tourist attraction due to the Norman Abbey tower. It is also known for having the most pubs per square mile in the country.

Population
133,500 (ONS Estimates 2005)

Migration, immigration, ethnic diversity, basic population demographics
• Majority of the population fall under the 30-44 age bracket
• Ethnicity: White (93.10%), Mixed (1.58%), Asian or Asian British (3.31%), Black or Black British (1.01%), Chinese and Other (1.0%)
• Religion: Christian (71.03%), No religion (17.46%), Muslim (2.62%)
• The workforce mostly works in Lower managerial and professional occupations (26.16%), Higher professional occupations (10.8%), Intermediate Occupations (9.45%), Semi-routine occupations (7.59%) and as Large employers and higher managerial occupations (7.5%).

Unemployment/employment rate
• 66.5% are employed
• 2.47% are unemployed
• The rest of the population are either students, retired, homemakers or disabled.
Source: (ONS Estimates July 2005 – June 2006)

Average income/salary
• £609.2 per week (ONS Residence-based 2006)

Location within the UK and closest major location
• Located in southern Hertfordshire in East England
• London – 22 miles away

Transport options to and within
• St Albans is well connected with other areas in the country by road, rail, and plane.
• It suffers from traffic congestion due to high car usage, inadequate roads and not so good public transport system.

Closest airports with average distance from town/city centre
• London Luton Airport - 8.83 miles
• London Heathrow Airport - 20.12 miles
• London City Airport - 24.49 miles
• London Stansted Airport - 27.38 miles

Dominating sectors / industries
• Finance, IT, other business activities - 31.85%
• Public admin, education & health - 25.2%
• Distribution, hotels & restaurants - 24%
Source: ONS annual business inquiry employee analysis 2005

Large companies that have headquarters or major branches in the location
• Rothamstead
• Building Research Establishment

Areas that are considered to be prime business locations
• The Maltings
• Christopher Place

Major or annual business-related events
• International Organ Festival at St Albans 2007

Special business benefits/dispensations
• Unoccupied property rating
• Small Business Rate relief
• Charity and Discretionary relief
• Rural Rate Relief

3 best things about the location
• Has a reputation for being an affluent, prosperous and highly qualified area.
• Proximity to London
• The local economy trend is shifting from the manufacturing industry and employment in large operations to small enterprises, retailing, and tourism-based enterprises.

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