Plans revealed for major new tech facility in Cheshire

Cheshire’s Tatton Estate and Manchester Metropolitan University are collaborating to create a major new addition to the Liverpool-Manchester science corridor.

Tatton Estate and the University are to unveil plans at the world’s foremost property and investment event taking place in Cannes, France this week  to create a multi-million pound 3D printing facility between Altrincham and Knutsford and close to Manchester Airport.

The two parties will sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) at MIPIM at an event on the Cheshire and Warrington exhibition stand on Thursday, March 15, to create jointly the Cheshire 3D Print Hub (C3D).

It is anticipated that C3D will deliver an initial £6m investment in the North West, located on the Tatton Estate’s Yarwood Heath Farm, part of its Cheshire Gateway scheme. It will comprise some 40,000 sq ft of existing buildings accessed directly from Junction 7 of the M56 and the new Knutsford-Bowdon A556 dual carriageway.

C3D will also provide grow-on incubation space to accommodate the emerging North West Industrial Digital Technologies market and supplement Manchester Met’s existing central Manchester PrintCity® facilities. C3D will enable the implementation of advanced digital technologies in design, manufacture (3D printing/additive and advanced manufacturing) and service support.

Tatton Estate, the largest private landowner in Cheshire East and represented by the Tatton Group, is driving investment opportunities. Henry Brooks, Tatton Group managing director, said: “C3D is a very exciting prospect, regionally, nationally and internationally. It will help contribute to the global imperative for the UK and the North West to increase manufacturing, to create wealth, jobs and social cohesion.

“It will also become an integral part of Cheshire’s international corridor of science and innovation which has some of the most significant science based assets in the north of England, some of which are of global importance. Sitting at the geographical heart of the UK, Cheshire Gateway already boasts fantastic connectivity to all major cities via train, which will be yet further fed by the HS2 hub stations at Crewe and Manchester Airport, where it is expected to connect to Northern Powerhouse rail, connecting C3D to the global community.”

Collectively the Cheshire Science Corridor, which has Enterprise Zone status, currently comprises: Capenhurst Technology Park, Thornton Science Park, Sci-Tech Daresbury (in Liverpool City Region LEP area), Birchwood Park’s Nuclear and Forensics Clusters, Alderley Park (Life Sciences), Jodrell Bank and the Square Kilometre Array, the largest and most sensitive radio telescope in the world.

Tatton Estate will support other science and technology businesses to occupy parts of the Yarwood Heath Farm site to create critical mass and foster industry collaboration, in line with the opportunities presented with Industry 4.0 whilst supporting jobs and growth within the local economy.

Professor Craig Banks, personal chair in Electrochemical and Nanotechnology at Manchester Met and Faculty of Science and Engineering lead for Research and Knowledge Exchange, said: “The long-term ambition of the project is to create an open and inclusive science and technology hub. It will enhance our research and innovation infrastructure and capacities to develop excellence and promote business investment, including for SMEs.

“The collaboration between Tatton Estate and Manchester Met will also form academic partnerships, using research knowledge to drive commercial growth. SMEs will be supported by postgraduate research projects, with senior academic expertise and could take ideas from concept through to commercialisation. As ideas develop, Knowledge Transfer Partnerships could be exploited to accelerate suitable projects as a route to commercialisation.”

The Tatton Group is part of the Cheshire and Warrington delegation attending MIPIM, led by the Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), alongside Cheshire West and Chester Council, Cheshire East Council and Warrington Borough Council and 30 private sector partners.