The North of England’s ever sharpening focus on innovation-led businesses is set to
take another step forward as the second phase of Violet, a c.£20million speculative
development at the Sci-Tech Daresbury campus, goes before planners for detailed
consent.
The project is set to deliver a further c.80,000 sq ft gross of innovation real estate to
Liverpool City Region, including much needed laboratory space, in a development on
vacant land at the north end of the campus in Halton.
The application is based around two new three-storey buildings, to be known as V4 and
V5 following on from the successful delivery of phase one of Violet. Having been
completed in February 2022, Phase 1 comprised a £17.8million scheme which is
already 85% occupied and features 43,000 sq ft of Grade A office and innovation space
across three buildings V1 at 19,000 sq ft and V2 and V3 providing 12,000 sq ft each.
Violet is central to Sci-Tech Daresbury’s strategy of expanding the range of high-quality
facilities to provide a ‘home for life’ for companies and will help joint venture partners
Langtree, Halton Borough Council, and the Science and Technology Facilities Council
(STFC) deliver on the promise to support job creation and drive inward investment in
the region.
The first new building in the proposed scheme, V4, measures c. 23,000 sq ft and will
expand the availability of Sci-Tech Daresbury’s Grade A office accommodation with
larger floor plates of up to 6,000 sq ft. It has been conceived with companies in sectors
such as advanced engineering, healthcare, digital technology, and sustainability in
mind.
V5, meanwhile, is c.60,000 sq ft and based around dedicated CL2-enabled laboratory
space along with areas to encourage collaboration and positive wellbeing, including an
accessible roof terrace. Large floor plates of 5,000 sq ft to 20,000 sq ft will be available
along with high ceilings, fume extraction and external door access, are part of a
package of outstanding specifications configured to provide best-in-class research
space. This new space will be particularly suitable for companies in life sciences,
materials development, and instrumentation.
Both buildings have been designed to BREEAM Excellent standard by Seven
Architecture and sustainable features are included throughout the development. Solar
photovoltaics and highly efficient air source heat pumps will ensure V4 and V5 achieve
highly efficient energy performance. The development has also been designed to
maximise bio-diversity and is capable of achieving up to a 25% bio-diversity net gain
with the inclusion of green roofs and a comprehensive planting scheme.
Sci-Tech Daresbury, one of the North’s most important clusters of
R&D-focused businesses, is already home to over 150 science and
technology companies in sectors including advanced engineering,
instrumentation, materials, life sciences, healthcare, digital technologies, and
sustainability.
These include the likes of Croda, IBM, and Hitachi, co-located with
STFC’s Daresbury Laboratory, part of UK Research and Innovation at the site, which is
located just off junction 11 on the M56 and within a 20-minute drive of both John
Lennon and Manchester International airports.
“Our campus is designed to be a ‘home for life’ and we need to provide larger laboratory
and office facilities to ensure there is grow-on space for the businesses already within
our community,” said John Downes, Chief Executive Officer of Langtree and Chairman
of Sci-Tech Daresbury.
“We also want to attract further investment from outside of Liverpool City Region. Larger
floorplates are especially attractive in the market and the next phase of Violet will
complement the existing office, laboratory, and science facilities that we already have
on the campus. The continuing expansion of Sci-Tech Daresbury is key to ensuring that
companies can start and scale in the North without the need to relocate elsewhere,
which would create significant disruption for them and bring the risk of losing key staff.
We also believe that investment in innovation capability goes straight to the heart of
future-proofing the regional economy – it’s part of creating a highly skilled workforce,
that generates high value intellectual property.”
The second phase of Violet is expected to help create or support 300 jobs and add
significant social value in the area through skills opportunities and local spending during
the construction phase.
The planning application includes a comprehensive landscape strategy which will coordinate how the new development will connect pedestrian movements to the wider
campus through both enhanced walkways and accessible lift provisions. Subject to
securing consent, building works could commence in early 2024 with a targeted
completion of mid-2025.