Alderley Park to get £107m investment

MANCHESTER Science Partnership (MSP) has agreed to invest £107m over 10 years for improvements at Alderley Park in Cheshire.

A six-week consultation on the draft development for the Park will start on January 30.

Comments are invited from technical bodies, amenity groups, residents, businesses, developers and anyone with an interest in the planning and development of the 400-acre strategic employment site.

The draft framework outlines Cheshire East Council’s expectations for future development on the site following the planned withdrawal of AstraZeneca’s research and development function.

MSP is the new owner of the park and its decade-long investment will include making it suitable for multi-occupancy, decommission redundant facilities, and maintain and improve key assets to retain the site’s R&D capabilities.

There may be scope for development for alternative uses on the site, including residential, to create a mix of uses which will provide income to support the establishment of the life science hub.

Rowena Burns, chief executive officer of MSP, said: “The future of Alderley Park as a high quality bioscience centre is vitally important to the local economy.

“Since MSP purchased the site we have been working on how we can deliver the high-quality, sensitive and appropriate development within the site necessary to secure that future.”

Councillor Michael Jones, leader of Cheshire East Council said: “Our aim is to create an independent, self-sustaining, world-class hub for life sciences, while also protecting the heritage of this unique site.
 
“The early signs are very promising and we hope that with the right planning framework
in place we can ensure this site remains a strategic life science site of world-class
quality.”