Boss of Sci-Tech Daresbury says new railway station proposed by Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram will boost plans to increase employment at the site from 2,000 to 10,000 people. Tony McDonough reports
Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram’s plan for a new railway station serving Sci-Tech Daresbury will boost plans to create 8,000 new jobs at the site.
John Downes, chairman of the Liverpool city region science and innovation campus, welcomed Mr Rotheram’s announcement saying it would be “fantastic news” for the facility.
Sci-Tech Daresbury, a joint-venture between Langtree, the Science and Technology Facilities Council and Halton Council, is currently home to more than 150 businesses employing around 2,000 people.
However, with an expansion of the campus now well under way there are plans in the pipeline to increase the number of jobs to 10,000 over the next 15 to 20 years.
In December Sci-Tech Daresbury secured planning consent for Violet phase two which will deliver a further 83,000 sq ft of office and laboratory space. Costing £24m, Violet phase two will offer two new three-storey buildings, known as V4 and V5.
This follows on from the successful delivery of Violet phase one, which offers 43,000 sq ft of commercial space across three buildings – V1, V2 and V3.
“A new train station at Daresbury would be fantastic news for our campus,” said John Downes.
“While we already benefit from excellent connectivity – from being at the heart of the North West’s motorway network to being located between the region’s two airports – an enhanced rail link would further bolster our offer.
“This would make Sci-Tech Daresbury even more attractive to companies from around the world that are looking to invest in the UK.”
On Tuesday Mr Rotheram kicked off his re-election campaign. He said he would build three new Merseyrail stations by 2030 if he secured a third term in May. They would be at Woodchurch in Wirral, Carr Mill in St Helens and Daresbury in Halton.
“I know that in some parts of our region, Liverpool can feel as distant and inaccessible as London. I’m working to put that right, bringing local people closer to each other and to the opportunities we’re creating,” the Mayor said.
Mr Downes added: “Our own investment by the joint venture in our estate, combined with the inspirational work of our companies, means we feel justified having such ambitious targets.
“The proposed rail link would be another mechanism to help us achieve our goal – improving the access to talent, connectivity to other infrastructure and allowing more partners to access the world class research facilities and expertise.”