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Aerial view of Daresbury Laboratory and the Daresbury Science and Innovation Campus

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10:54 am, January 28, 2010
Shortlist of three for Daresbury partnership

By Simon Binns

A shortlist of three has been drawn up in the bid to find a private sector joint venture partner for the Daresbury Science and Innovation Campus (SIC).

British Land, Igloo Regeneration Consortium and Langtree have been selected by the existing public sector partners at the campus - the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA), Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) and Halton Borough Council - following a round of detailed proposal submissions.

The creation of the Daresbury SIC joint venture will see around 1m sq ft of new space developed for science and innovation facilities, which will bring more than 6,000 new jobs to the area over the next 30 years.

The NWDA is also investing further funding on the campus to allow the construction of a new grow-on building, Vanguard House. The extra money will take the NWDA investment at the scheme to more than £67m.

Professor Colin Whitehouse, chair of the joint venture executive steering group and deputy chief executive of the STFC, said:

“British Land, Igloo and Langtree are all very high calibre organisations and I am sure that, with the winning bidder, this North West campus - together with its sister campus at Harwell in Oxfordshire - will bring new investment and greater economic return to the area, and ensure the UK stays in a prime position for its world-leading science and innovation.”

Mark Hughes, executive director for economic development at the NWDA, said: “The joint venture is vital for the future growth of Daresbury and this high quality shortlist is very encouraging. The investment in the campus by the NWDA has proved to be very successful, with 100 companies now on site and high demand for the next stage of development. The joint venture will create even more opportunities and will develop the full potential of the campus in the future”.

It is expected that the final bidder will be selected in May and the joint venture operational by July.

Comments?sbinns@crain.com