Member Article

Work starts on Warrington Borough Council’s £8.5 million business incubator

The construction of Warrington’s £8.5 million Business Incubator is now underway, and the event was marked by a ground-breaking ceremony undertaken by Dame Tessa Jowell, MP alongside Cllr Terry O’Neill, Leader of Warrington Borough Council and Alan McCarthy-Wyper, managing director of ISG’s Construction business.

The Business Incubator is the first development to commence on Warrington Borough Council’s £190 Stadium Quarter project .

A second project, the £10 million University Technical College Warrington is due to start on site in the coming weeks. The two schemes are designed to be complementary and will sit adjacent to each other on Dallam Lane in the centre of the town.

The new Business Incubator 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 £1.7 million European Regional Development Fund grant and £6.7 million investment from Warrington Borough Council’s capital programme.

When the facility is operational in summer 2015, it will be capable of supporting up to 100 small businesses.

ISG was appointed to construct the building earlier this year. ISG has committed to, wherever possible, utilise 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 who are part of the Atkins group. Both contracts were awarded by competitive tender using the North West Construction Hub.

Warrington & Co., Warrington’s partnership for growth will project manage the development.

The Stadium Quarter initiative was announced by Warrington Borough 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 an historic day for Warrington. This start on site will not only provide a first class base in which new businesses can develop and grow, and Warrington is recognised as the number one location outside of London for business start-ups, but it is also marks the start on site of Stadium Quarter.

“Warrington’s town renaissance is now underway. With a start on site of the £52 million Bridge Street regeneration project scheduled and on track for January this is a pivotal and exciting moment”.

Alan McCarthy-Wyper, managing director of ISG’s Construction business, added: “We’re delighted to be playing a key role in delivering the first phase of such an important regeneration project in Warrington.

“The North West Construction Hub provided the efficient procurement route for Warrington Borough Council to bring this vital project to site in the shortest possible time frame and with our joint emphasis on regional legacy, I’m confident that the Business Incubator will prove an outstanding asset to the town and the wider economy.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Simon Malia .