£17.8m Sci-Tech Daresbury 43,000 sq ft Violet development almost close to capacity just over six months after it opened. Tony McDonough reports
A £17.8m office and innovation complex that was opened in May this year at Sci-Tech Daresbury is now almost full.
Violet, which secured £8.4m in funding from Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, offers 43,000 sq ft of commercial space across three buildings – V1, V2 and V3. Each building offers floorplates of 4,300 to 6,300 sq ft.
Sci-Tech Daresbury, a joint-venture between Langtree, the Science and Technology Facilities Council and Halton Council, says demand for space at the scheme has been “phenomenal”.
They have welcomed international arrivals Geek+ and Blackmagic Design, as well as ORCHA, MCS and Peak Technology Solutions. The latter three have scaled up from their previous locations on the campus in The Innovation Centre and Vanguard House.
As a result, there now remains only a floor and half left within Violet (6,361 sq ft), with it hoped that the complex will reach full capacity in early 2023.
Now the joint venture partners are finalising detailed designs of a further development on the campus called Ultraviolet. This will comprise a mixture of office and laboratory space.
Jayne Furnival, property director of Langtree, said: “The first spade hit the ground for our Violet development during the height of the pandemic, at a time when many construction projects were paused.
“Yet, we remained resolute in the belief that our ambitious plans for propelling science and technology forward in our region through investing in quality laboratory and office space would fulfil a critical unmet need.
“That there is now only a floor and half left at these three spectacular buildings is a vindication of our strategy and reflects why we are looking to expand further with Ultraviolet.
Funding from the Combined Authority comprised a £2.5m loan from the Urban Development Fund and £5.9m from the Combined Authority’s Chrysalis Fund.
Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram added: “Our area is home to a thriving innovation economy, boasting world-leading clusters of science and technology. I’m on a mission to help those businesses unleash their full potential.
“For all the work we’re doing to catapult our area to the forefront of UK innovation, we need to ensure we’re investing in high-quality, sustainable spaces for our businesses to flourish.
“The Violet buildings are befitting of a modern, forward-looking city region like ours. I can’t wait to see where its new tenants will take us on our journey to realising that ambition.”