Langtree wins Daresbury development brief
COMMERCIAL property developer Langtree has been named as the private sector joint venture partner who has been commissioned to work on the development of the Daresbury Science and Innovation Campus near Warrington.
Legal agreements are now being drawn up between Langtree and the three public sector bodies responsible for overseeing Daresbury’s development – the North West Regional Development Agency, Halton Borough Council and the Science and Technologies Facilities Council.
Langtree is owned by property entrepreneur Bill Ainscough and is based at Newton-le-Willows. The joint venture will be responsible for bringing forward around one million sq ft of space for science and innovation facilities at Daresbury, which is one of just two science and innovation campuses being built in the UK.
The partnership hopes to attract up to 6,000 new jobs to the area over the next 30 years.
Managing director John Downes said: “The Daresbury Science and Innovation Campus is of real regional and national significance and we are proud to have been selected as the joint venture partner to deliver subsequent phases of its development.
“Any development on this scale requires careful handling and our track record of delivering and managing high specification accommodation, while working hand-in-hand with the public sector, speaks for itself.”
Leader of Halton Borough Council, Cllr Rob Polhill, said: “Daresbury is at the forefront of many developments in the knowledge economy which is a key growth sector and I now look forward to being able to work with Langtree in developing the campus and ensuring that the benefits are spread throughout the borough and beyond.”
The NWDA has put in more than £67m worth of funding to the campus to date, which has included money for the new Vanguard House building which is set to complete early next year.
“The investment in the campus by the NWDA over the years has proved to be very successful, with over 100 companies now on site and high demand for the next stage of development and our new building,” said NWDA chief executive Steven Broomhead.
