£8.5m Business Incubator starting to take shape
CONSTRUCTION of Warrington’s £8.5 million Business Incubator in the centre of the town is now well underway.
The steelwork structure is highly visible, particularly from the main Liverpool to Manchester railway line, and the project is on schedule for a June completion and September opening.
Warrington Borough Council has appointed agents CBRE to assist in the appointment, via The Chest, of a managed workspace operator to manage the facility on Warrington Borough Council’s behalf.
The procurement process has now opened and closes on February 9. Applicants now have until then to return a submission. It is intended that eight companies will be shortlisted and a decision made in April.
The advanced engineering and manufacturing business facility is the first development to be launched on the site of the Warrington Borough Council’s ambitious Stadium Quarter project.
It will provide a contemporary, high-quality workplace specifically aimed at providing prestigious, accessible accommodation for start-up businesses.
The five-storey building will feature a café at ground floor level and offices and research and development facilities on the upper floors. Its contemporary look will be enhanced and accentuated by high quality stone and glass elevations and feature a double-height glazed entrance lobby.
Funding has come from a £1.7m European Regional Development Fund grant and £6.7 million investment from Warrington Borough Council’s capital programme.
When the facility is operational it will be capable of supporting up to 100 small businesses.
Warrington & Co., Warrington’s partnership for growth are project managing the development.
ISG has been appointed to construct the building and has committed to, wherever possible, use the skills and expertise of the local supply chain to deliver the project.
Construction management of the Incubator is being led by Faithful and Gould, part of the Atkins group. Both contracts were awarded by competitive tender using the North West Construction Hub.
The Business Incubator is the first phase of the Stadium Quarter initiative which was announced by Warrington Council in March 2013. The scheme will connect the bus interchange with the Warrington Wolves’ Halliwell Jones Stadium and create a new, vibrant mixed-use development comprising educational, business, leisure and housing uses.
A phased programme of development over the next decade will create up to 1,000 construction jobs and nearly 4000 new permanent jobs when fully completed in 2024.
Councillor Terry O’Neill, leader of Warrington Borough Council, said: “This is a tremendously exciting project and Warrington Borough Council is seeking a dynamic serviced office operator who can match and meet our ambitious expectations for this project.”
