RGF Funding will Generate Hundreds of Jobs at Sci-Tech Daresbury

Some 750 jobs will be created with the development of a new office and laboratory complex at Sci-Tech Daresbury following the site’s successful bid for a £10m Regional Growth Fund (RGF) grant.

The RGF award, which was announced two weeks ago, will enable the creation of around 750 new jobs at the science and innovation site over the next four years, allowing it to continue its rapid development and expansion.

The RGF funding will be matched by significant private investment and will be used to develop key aspects of the site and surrounding areas.

At the centre of the development plan is a proposal to build 60,000 sq ft of new offices and lab space – provisionally called Techspace – over two phases.

Funding will also be used to upgrade Sci-Tech Daresbury’s power supply system, to improve public transport links and to carry out environmental and infrastructure improvements.

The developments will lead to the creation of 750 jobs by 2017, 460 of them in the new Techspace building, according to projections.

Sci-Tech Daresbury is a national science and innovation campus between Liverpool and Manchester which is regarded as one of Europe’s leading centres for innovation and business. It assumed official status in April as one of the Government’s flagship Enterprise Zones.

The site is a private-public sector joint venture between property company Langtree, the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) and Halton Borough Council. The Universities of Lancaster, Liverpool and Manchester are all active partners on the site.

John Downes, Group Chief Executive of Langtree, was responsible for co-ordinating the successful RGF bid.

He said:

“This award is recognition of the potential of the site, its recent success and the strategic role it can play at a regional, national and international level. This investment will be used to accelerate our development plans and to continue the rapid growth already seen over the last two years, creating new high quality commercial and laboratory space and creating hundreds of high value jobs.”

John Womersley, Chief Executive of the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), added:

“The RGF grant will help us continue to develop Sci-Tech Daresbury as a centre for scientific excellence and innovation. It will provide crucial investment into the site and support the vision of the joint venture partners, helping us provide state-of-the-art labs and office space, and ensure long-term growth by improving the capabilities of the site.”

David Parr, Chief Executive of Halton Council, said:

“Sci-Tech Daresbury is a key economic asset not just for Halton but for the North West and, indeed, the UK. We will continue to expand the site in line with our strategic plan to move towards our vision of generating some 15,000 skilled jobs at the site over the next 20 years, alongside the creation of over one million square feet of new scientific facilities plus commercial, laboratory and workshop space for science and technology businesses.”