Waters Corp gets green light for £60m Wilmslow HQ

US scientific equipment firm Waters Corp has secured planning permission to build its new £60m HQ for mass spectometry devices on Altrincham Road in Wilmslow.

Cheshire East Council’s decision to grant approval for the building, which will be on a 15-acre greenbelt site previously occupied by Ciba-Geigy Life Sciences, was dependent on a number of conditions.

The included payment of £371,000 towards the council for monitoring costs and on a £16,000 contribution to the National Trust towards a new bridge.

A three-spur roundabout is also being created on Altrincham Road for site access and there will be a car park containing 496 spaces. New cycle and footpaths will be installed around the site, and a new 1,000 sq ft bat house will be installed. Nearby playing fields will also be upgraded.

Waters Corporation now plans to demolish the Stamford House building on the site. It will be replaced by a new 215,000 sq ft building containing offices, laboratories, warehousing, storage and distribution areas. It will also include a new staff restaurant and a gym.

Waters Corporation currently employs 513 people on four seperate sites in Altrincham and south Manchester, but it plans to bring them all together on the new site as well as creating a potential 100 new jobs.

The site had been vacant since 1998. It was bought by Legal & General in August 2006 and then by collapsed contractor Rok Developments. Waters Corporation picked up the site recently after signing a deal with Royal Bank of Scotland earlier this year.

Waters Corporation has said that it now plans to start work on the site in the autumn with a view to completing the building in 2013.

Brian Smith, vice-president of MS Business Operations at Waters, said: “I am very pleased that we now have the ability to move our high-technology business forward and provide a world class centre for innovation in mass spectrometry.

“Science is such a major contributor to the history of this region and now we can write a new chapter in this rich heritage with our custom-built headquarters in Wilmslow.

“We would like to extend our thanks for the input we received at the public consultations in January from the residents and local businesses in the town and to Cheshire East for its ongoing support.”

Councillor Jamie Macrae, Cheshire East Council’s cabinet member with responsibility for prosperity, said: “This is great news for Cheshire East.

“This development represents a significant and greatly-welcome investment in Cheshire East, which will help to secure the Borough’s economic growth and future prosperity.

“It will relocate 500 jobs to Wilmslow – these hi-tech, high ‘value-added’ jobs are exactly the kind that the Council is keen to attract to help grow and develop a successful and sustainable Cheshire East economy.

“The proposed building is also impressive, as it employs some of the most hi-tech and sustainable construction techniques in its design.”

Wilmslow Councillor Wesley Fitzgerald said the new headquarters “will be a real and welcome boost not only for Wilmslow but also for the wider Cheshire East area”.

“This disused site has been a real blot on the landscape and now it is set to be a beacon of innovation and excellence in Cheshire East.”