Medipark ‘will bring 2,700 jobs’
MEDIPARK, a proposed hub for health and biotech firms next to Wythenshawe Hospital, could help generate 2,700 jobs in the coming years.
That’s according to a new regeneration framework for the site commissioned by Manchester City Council.
It sits within Manchester’s enterprise zone, along with land around the airport earmarked for ‘Airport City’, which means businesses based there will be exempt from business rates. Both developments are expected to improve the economic prospects of Wythenshawe and the city region.
The document, which will be considered by Manchester’s cabinet next week, says 500,000 sq ft of office, lab and manufacturing space around the hospital and at Rounthorn Industrial Estate, will support 2,000 office jobs and 676 described as “high tech”.
About 1,000 are expected to be on site by year five and a further 1,700 after 12 years. The park is projected to contribute £190m in gross value added (GVA) – a measure of the goods and services produced in an area – the the regional economy. Around £79m is expected in the first five years.
According to the document the jobs will come from a “major anchor tenant”, the research and development departments of large life sciences firms, small businesses that have links to universities and hospitals, and light industrial.
It states: “The development proposals are based around providing incentives, collaborative opportunities, a high quality environment and easy access to national and international markets. These factors will combined to attract new, mobile private sector investment into the area from major international companies, as well as growing the local SME base in the health technology sector.
“Consequently, a large proportion of the jobs which will be accommodated at MediPark will be additional to the city region economy and would not be realised without this proposition. The delivery of these economic impacts means that MediPark will make a major contribution to achieving a number of the City Region’s strategic economic objectives.”
The area around the hospital is owned by the South Manchester University Hospital, while the freehold on the part of Roundthorn earmarked for redevelopment is held by Manchester City Council. The first phase will cover around 20 acres.
The enterprise zone has five keys areas around the airport and Wythenshawe Hospital. These are: offices and manufacturing at Airport City North; Medipark; a world freight facility at Airport City South; Wythenshawe Town Centre; and Atlas Business Park. The freight facility has been approved at planning while Airport City north will be considered early next year.
