Liverpool city region science and innovation campus Sci-Tech Daresbury submits plans for a speculative 80,000 sq ft development costing £20m. Tony McDonough reports
Sci-Tech Daresbury has submitted plans for the £20m second phase of its Violet development comprising 80,000 sq ft.
In December, LBN reported that the £17.8m phase one of Violet, comprising three buildings totalling 43,000 sq ft was already close to capacity just a few months after opening. It is currently 85% occupied.
Those buildings are called V1 (19,000 sq ft), V2 and V3 (both 12,000 sq ft). Phase two will see the construction of two more buildings – V4 and V5. They will offer both office and laboratory space.
Sci-Tech Daresbury, a joint-venture between Langtree, the Science and Technology Facilities Council and Halton Council, said in December demand for space at the scheme has been “phenomenal”.
Phase 2 has now been submitted to Halton Council planners. If approved, work on the project could start in early 2024 with a targeted completion of mid-2025.
John Downes, chief executive of Langtree, said: “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.
“We also want to attract further investment from outside of Liverpool city region. Larger floor plates are especially attractive in the market and the next phase of Violet will complement the existing office, laboratory, and science facilities.”
V4 will offer 23,000 sq ft of space with 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 will comprise 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.
Floor plates of 5,000 sq ft to 20,000 sq ft will be available. This space will be particularly suitable for companies in life sciences, materials development, and instrumentation.
READ MORE: Lidl scraps plan for new Liverpool Wavertree store
Solar photovoltaics and air source heat pumps will ensure V4 and V5 achieve highly efficient energy performance. The development has also been designed to maximise bio-diversity.
“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,” added Mr Downes.