£1m refurb to create an employment hub

WORK has commenced on a £1million refurb of the former Dunnes Stores property on Church Street, Ballymoney which will create an employment hub for up to 150 people, along with retail opportunities.
By Claire Cartmill
Published 20th Jan 2020, 10:39 BST
Updated 21st Jan 2020, 01:13 BST
John Borland, Managing Director and Maureen McCluggage Operations Director pictured outside their new premises soon to be Payescape HouseJohn Borland, Managing Director and Maureen McCluggage Operations Director pictured outside their new premises soon to be Payescape House
John Borland, Managing Director and Maureen McCluggage Operations Director pictured outside their new premises soon to be Payescape House

The three storey 17,000 sq ft building is being transformed into ‘Payescape House,’ the new HQ for thriving Ballymoney payroll business Payescape, which currently employs 44 people at the Acorn Centre on the outskirts of town.

Payescape purchased the property early last year and the exciting project is now ready to proceed, after planning permission to change the upper floors from retail to commercial use was finally passed.

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Managing Director, Mr John Borland said: “The project will take an estimated 18 weeks and if all goes well we will move in, in May this year. The cost is over £1million with work being undertaken by QMac Construction Ltd.”

Work includes a new roof and windows, with both a covered and uncovered area on the top floor. The first floor will be refurbished to accommodate 50 desks for Payescape personnel, with bathroom, kitchen and shower facilities to the rear.

“Having a nice environment for staff to work in is very important to us,” continued John. “We are bursting at the seams at our current premises. Payescape House will give us the capacity to accommodate up to 150 people. The ground floor is also available for rent to a retail business. I’m told that retail clients want a shell, left ready for them to adapt to what ever their line of business is, and the refurb will leave the ground floor ready in this respect.”

Payescape provide Cloud based Payroll System products and services to over 1,000 customers worldwide, who have payroll needs in the UK. Their clients include some of Northern Ireland’s biggest employers. Services include an online portal where clients can access their account and key in employee details, hours worked, salary etc, from their own computer or phone. Payescape has been investing in technology and sales this past year.

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“We have two more sales people in England selling into the London market,” John explained. “We are focused on helping develop the local economy and rejuvenating Ballymoney town centre. It is very exciting for us to help create skilled job opportunities for local people. Everything is going to the Cloud. We all hear about retail shops closing because people are buying goods on the internet those high street jobs are lost to people working in a warehouse in somewhere like Watford.”

But John says that this modern way of buying and selling can also work to Ballymoney’s advantage.

“If Payescape can be the best on the internet for payroll, when someone in London decides to use Payescape rather then their local accountant, then Ballymoney benefits.”

People may have the perception that these services are only required for larger companies.

“I would like dentists, solicitors, farmers, doctors, small businesses of every sort to realise that Payescape is a company they could use and trust,” he concluded.

Related topics:Work