Exeter Science Park lays foundations to become SW's beacon of excellence
Exeter Science Park, located to the East of Exeter and just off Junction 29 of the M5, has been laying foundations to become the south west’s beacon of excellence for science and technology.
Over the past six months, the Science Park has covered significant ground in improving the infrastructure and connectivity, securing funding and supporting the growth and development of many of its tenants within the Science Park Centre – an incubation hub to promote innovation and support fast-growth for science and technology businesses and entrepreneurs.
Since 2012, more than £9million has been invested in the development of estate roads, infrastructure and drainage systems. In 2014, an additional £250k was invested to provide 1GB of ultra fast broadband across the site and in 2015/2016 a further £2.5million will see the completion of new roads, car parks and further plot preparation to make way for the Global Environmental Futures Campus – a cluster of new buildings which will become home to businesses that specialise in climate change and sustainable futures.
The funding has enabled the Park to prepare the land ready for the provision of new buildings, providing space for innovative, high-growth local businesses, as well as attracting exciting new firms to the city to join the growing science, technology and big data business community.
In November 2015, £10m of funding was secured through the Government’s Growth Deal 2 initiative for the delivery of three high quality, bespoke buildings, including two new grow-on buildings and a statement building within the Global Environmental Futures Campus.
These distinctive buildings will provide crucial space for private sector organisations to set up home at the Exeter Science Park, some of which are already in talks with the management team. Thanks to the funding, the plots are now ready, enabling more science-based entrepreneurs to be on site much sooner than originally planned. Work is expected to start in November this year, with the grow-on buildings completed in November 2018.
Also in November, a landmark agreement was signed with E.ON to provide a district heating network, providing a sustainable and cost-effective source of heat and hot water to the park as well as to new homes and businesses in Monkerton.
The district heating system is another part in the Park’s ambition to be sustainable. All buildings on the Park will be built to a high efficiency standard, BREEAM Excellent, whilst the further enhancement of the surface water attenuation ponds is helping to minimise the impact of the development on the wider drainage infrastructure. In addition, a comprehensive planting initiative has been implemented across the park to preserve and enhance the diverse ecology already present.
Emerging from the ground is the Park’s newest building, set to house the Met Office’s £97million High Performance Computer, which will be the biggest supercomputer in Europe. Once installed, the much-anticipated computer will enable the Met Office to run more detailed weather and climate models to assist the UK’s resilience to extreme weather.
Peter Quincey, Senior Development Manager of Exeter Science Park said: “We have come a long way over the past six months and it’s very satisfying to finally see the fruits of our labour. We couldn’t have achieved all that we have without the support of our partners who have all recognised the long-term benefits the Park will bring to the region. The funding has helped us to rapidly progress the site preparation, build new roads and get the Park ready for more businesses looking to develop their own bespoke premises. We are already in talks with several firms looking to move to the area. We are all very excited about the next 6 months when we will continue to support the growth of innovative, fast-growth science and technology businesses.”
Early in 2016, the Met Office will hold its official topping-out ceremony for the High Performance Computer building which is expected to be completed in the autumn. In addition, the Park is expected to announce the arrival of an “Internet of Things” start-up at the Exeter Science Park Centre over the next few weeks – which will further bolster the capabilities of this fast-growing enterprise community.
For more information please visit www.exetersciencepark.co.uk/ call 01392 249 222 or follow the team on Twitter @ExeterSciencePk
