A TYNESIDE community group has won backing from the EU for purpose-built offices and workshops for budding entrepreneurs.

A European regional development fund grant of £209,228 has been awarded to Newcastle City Council to help it create the community-owned and managed building in south Benwell, adjacent to the City West Business Park.

The £900,000 project is also being funded by the city council, Neighbourhood Renewal Fund and Centreland.

It will provide office space and workshop units for starter and small to medium sized businesses (SMEs) with potential to create at least 20 jobs. The new building will be owned and managed by community trust Reviving the Heart of the West End Ltd (RHWE).

David Slater, director for Competitiveness and Europe at the Government Office for the North-East, said: "This is a wonderful example of how European funding is helping local communities to help themselves.

"RHWE Ltd is a community-led company which will own and manage the new building, providing a range of offices and workshops to suit the needs of a variety of local businesses which are either starting out or expanding."

Stephen Croft, programme manager at RHWE, said: "This is a key project for the encouragement of new enterprise in the West End and will give those fledgling businesses a prime opportunity to provide business services to the major inward investing companies at CityWest.

"European funding has enabled this significant local initiative to become a reality both for our local community and the wider region."

Work is due to start shortly on the first phase of the building, which will provide 868sq m of accommodation, providing individual SMEs with office space ranging from 12 to 144sq m plus three workshop units.