A Cheshire town has secured £1.7m of European funding to allow it to go-ahead with a new business “incubator” hub — capable of housing as many as 100 fledgling enterprises — as part of a multi-million town centre redevelopment.
Warrington Borough Council has already lined up £8.5m for the commercial start-up complex, which will include offices and research space for a range of new businesses. Almost £6.7m will come from the authority’s capital programme with a £1.7m top-up from the European Regional Development Fund.
Work on the the 50,000sq ft building — to be constructed on the site of the former Dallam Childcare Centre in the town’s Dallam Lane — is expected to start later this year. The high-tech complex has been designed as a key part of Warrington’s £190m Stadium Quarter project, a 90-acre office, leisure and residential project situated between Warrington central railway station and the Warrington Wolves’ Halliwell Jones stadium (above).
The five-storey building will feature a café at ground level with offices and research and development facilities on the upper floors. Businesses will be able to take flexible lets and, hopefully, expand into larger premises being built within the Stadium Quarter project.
“This is great news for Warrington and a great start for the Stadium Quarter scheme,” said Steve Park, managing director of the town’s economic development company Warrington & Co. “The business incubator is exactly what local start-up businesses need and will complement the campus development.
The Stadium Quarter project was announced by the local authority in March, 2013, and will be developed as part of a rolling programme over the next decade. It will create as many as 1,000 temporary jobs during construction and permanent employment for at least 4,000 when fully completed in 2024.
Terry O’Neill is the borough council leader. “Warrington is recognised as the number one location outside of London for business start-up companies and this new facility is being built in response to demand and will provide a first class base in which new businesses can develop and grow,” he explained.
“Significantly, by the autumn of next year the Stadium Quarter will be home to two top class facilities: the business incubator that will help new businesses grow and the University Technical College which will train and equip our young people in nuclear and engineering skills.”
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