£25m Daresbury campus deal is first step in hi-tech masterplan

Jul 9 2008 by Tony McDonough, Liverpool Daily Post

HALTON Council has given the go-head for 35,000 sq ft of new office and laboratory space at the Daresbury Science & Innovation Campus.

Construction work on Vanguard House is expected to begin in September, 2008, with the building ready for occupation in September, 2009.

It will be split into units of between 1,000 sq ft and 7,700 sq ft. It will complement the Daresbury Innovation Centre and provide a home for companies already on the campus to grow into, as well as attracting established scientific and hi-tech companies from across the country.

The agreement to build Vanguard House was announced at the beginning of April by the Minister for Science & Innovation, Ian Pearson, as part of a £25m deal between the NorthWest Development Agency, Daresbury Science & Innovation Campus and developer St Modwen.

Directly managed by St Modwen, it will offer reception, meeting and conference facilities for all companies on the campus and a hi-tech IT service to its occupiers.

The new scheme will adjoin the existing Daresbury Innovation Centre and the Cockcroft Institute (the National Centre for Accelerator Science), with the larger investment creating the potential for up to 200,000 sq ft of new accommodation and up to 1,200 jobs.

St Modwen plans a rolling programme of development of high-quality buildings provided speculatively or to meet occupiers’ bespoke requirements.

John Leake, general manager of Daresbury SIC, said: “The first step in the ambitious masterplan for the campus is Vanguard House and receiving planning permission is a very exciting development.

“This will be a fantastic facility for hi-tech businesses, but the attraction is not just about the bricks and mortar.

“Companies will be able to draw on the unique combination of business support and world-class scientific expertise that has become the Daresbury SIC trademark.”

Mr Leake has also announced that the Daresbury site is to become one of six regional media enterprise centres, alongside the likes of Media City and Liverpool, which will see it benefiting from the very latest broadband connectivity for businesses in the digital and creative sector.

tonymcdonough