Salisbury's Innovation Centre begins to take shape
The new £9.9 million Collaborative Innovation Centre being built at Porton Science Park in Salisbury is beginning to take shape.
Wiltshire Council has given an update on the facilities.
What is happening at Porton Science Park
Porton Science Park is a state-of-the-art facility located on over 10 hectares at the Porton Down Science Campus. Operated by Wiltshire Council, the Science Park provides opportunities for sharing innovation, expertise and research whilst offering office and lab space to hire.
The park is now expanding significantly, and the Collaborative Innovation Centre will provide new office, laboratory and bespoke facilities to companies giving them the opportunity to grow. The council is delivering the building as fitted out space to provide turnkey laboratory, office and meeting space to smaller businesses and visiting researchers, academics and entrepreneurs. The Grow On space is being delivered as a shell, which the council offers to fit out to meet individual tenant’s bespoke needs subject to a lease agreement.
The aspiration is for the Collaborative Innovation Centre to be net zero carbon post completion, supporting the council’s aim to be carbon neutral by 2030.
Cllr Richard Clewer, Leader of Wiltshire Council, said: “Following the tremendous success of the first phase which comprised the £10.1 million Beech-Allen Building which was opened in early 2018 and is now fully occupied, we are delighted to see the second phase building coming to life. We already have substantial interest in this building, and we are looking forward to the new tenants moving in when the building opens later this year.
“The significant investment from Wiltshire Council and our partners has been critical to the site’s expansion which has reaffirmed Porton Science Park as a Life Science Opportunity Zone and a centre of excellence in specialist health, life science and defence and security sectors.”
What work is being undertaken at Porton?
Using a precision manufacturing approach at McAvoy’s state of the art facility in Northern Ireland, 83 pre-fabricated modular units have been built complete with fitted windows and plasterboarded walls and ceilings, and the final three modules will be delivered and lifted into position today (10 February 2022) to complete the erection of the two storey 3,600 sqm building. Over the last three weeks, at least six modules have been delivered to site each working day on the back of specially adapted trailers designed for carrying abnormal loads and lifted into position using a very large mobile crane.
Paddy Bradley, CEO, Swindon and Wiltshire Local Enterprise Partnership said of the news: “We are delighted to see the development of phase two of Porton Science Park. The £2 million investment from the government’s Getting Building Fund we helped secure allows us to specifically target enhancing job opportunities, skills and infrastructure for the area. We know that this project will help attract more investment in our communities and will draw in new high-skilled and well paid jobs to boost our recovery.”
The Collaborative Innovation Centre is scheduled to open later in 2022.