CHESHIRE SCIENCE CORRIDOR ENTERPRISE ZONE PROSPECTUS

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1 CHESHIRE SCIENCE CORRIDOR ENTERPRISE ZONE PROSPECTUS

2 CHESHIRE SCIENCE CORRIDOR ENTERPRISE ZONE The Cheshire Science Corridor has been awarded Enterprise Zone status. This is an exciting opportunity that has the potential to attract in the order of 20,000 jobs and 500 businesses to Cheshire and Warrington through a significantly enhanced profile; attractive business incentives and the ability to retain and reinvest new business rate revenue. The Cheshire Science Corridor Enterprise Zone is being led by the Cheshire and Warrington Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and is one of the key strategic development priorities identified in our Strategic Economic Plan. The Cheshire Science Corridor is a crescent that crosses the northern part of the Cheshire & Warrington sub-region linking together nationally and internationally significant research facilities and existing businesses (see plan overleaf). The area overlaps and supports the growth aspirations of the Atlantic Gateway. The Enterprise Zone brings together a portfolio of sites and premises which maximise the benefits arising from the assets of the Cheshire Science Corridor and wider subregion across all aspects of science and innovation, by facilitating significant opportunities for collaborations and synergies between businesses, institutions and research establishments. Existing businesses already located in the Cheshire Science Corridor include: Also: Urenco; Schneider Electric; Rolls Royce; Essar; Innospec; Sellafield

3 CHESHIRE SCIENCE CORRIDOR - ASSETS AND OPPORTUNITIES The Cheshire Science Corridor Enterprise Zone Sites: Alderley Park 1.1m sq ft of high specification space Birchwood 20 Ha and 200,000 sq ft office space Thornton Science Park 9.3 Ha secure development land Ellesmere Port Portfolio of oven-ready sites totalling 49 Ha Enterprise Zone Sectoral Strengths: - Life sciences - Energy and nuclear - Environmental technologies - Engineering - Advanced manufacturing - Automotive

4 CHESHIRE & WARRINGTON - OUR STRENGTHS The Cheshire Science Corridor Enterprise Zone is set within the three local authorities of Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Chester and Warrington 74.7% employment rate - 908,000 population 54.7 new businesses per 10,000 population 35.5% adults qualified to NVQ Level 4 or above 28,267 GVA per head 114.8% of UK average Our educational institutions include: University of Chester MMU Cheshire University of Manchester Reaseheath College University of Liverpool Served by two international airports with almost 30m passengers per year: Manchester Airport Liverpool John Lennon Airport The Benefits of the Enterprise Zone: Five year Business Rate Relief for occupiers of up to 55,000 per year or first year Enhanced Capital Allowances dependent upon site Clear and supportive planning policy and streamlined process with dedicated pre-application advice Access to high quality business support Commitment to enhance broad band infrastructure Closer working with UKTI to attract more foreign investment The Enterprise Zone has the potential to create 20,000 jobs and attract 500 businesses to the area

5 THE ENTERPRISE ZONE - OPPORTUNITIES The Enterprise Zone is targeted at the best commercial opportunities in the Cheshire Science Corridor. The Zone offers a portfolio of investment opportunities ranging from affordable development sites to world class laboratories across 100 hectares at: Alderley Park An internationally renowned bio-science campus with a strong history of success in drug discovery and development. Significant investment is being made to re-purpose the Park from a single occupier site and create a cluster for multiple biotech and life science businesses. The area benefits from a very highly skilled workforce following the relocation of AstraZeneca s R&D to Cambridge. The 21.5 hectare site comprises 1.1 million sq ft of existing built floorspace, most of which is high specification, high quality laboratory and office space which will be attractive to businesses with a focus on life science, R&D, technologies and processes. Two additional venture funds are available for SMEs starting up or expanding including the Greater Manchester and Cheshire Life Sciences Investment Fund.

6 THE ENTERPRISE ZONE - OPPORTUNITIES Birchwood The Birchwood area benefits from an established and diverse science and engineering business base. Key companies headquartered locally include Electricity North West, United Utilities, Certas Energy and Nuvia. Birchwood also has a regionally and nationally significant nuclear industry. The presence of the National Nuclear Laboratory, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and Sellafield Ltd s Design Engineering Centre has led to a strong nuclear cluster and supply chain linkages. Companies based in Birchwood include Rolls-Royce Nuclear, Atkins, Amec Foster Wheeler, AREVA, AECOM. These companies have expertise across nuclear new build, plant life extension and decommissioning. Site and Existing Buildings The Enterprise Zone sites in Birchwood comprises 20 hectares of cleared land in Patrizia s ownership for the next phase of development. Three new warehouses with flexible office space of 14,000 to 22,000 sq ft have just been completed (Feb 2016) and three buildings totalling 200,000 sq ft are also being refurbished to provide additional high quality office floorspace.

7 THE ENTERPRISE ZONE - OPPORTUNITIES Thornton Science Park A major research and innovation hub. Formerly the Shell Technology Centre, it offers a unique blend of industry, innovation and academia being home to the University of Chester s new Faculty of Science and Engineering, the Local Growth Fund-supported Smart Grid Demonstrator project and the recently announced Energy Security and Innovation Observing System for the Subsurface (ESIOS), which will be established in One of the signature projects is the SMART Grid Demonstrator - a shared facility to meet the growth needs of the energy sector, allowing businesses to test new technologies and model energy usage with combinations of old and new energy sources. The site offers 9.3 Ha of development land. Portfolio of Sites in Ellesmere Port The Enterprise Zone includes a select portfolio of pump primed sites which will benefit from either Enhanced Capital Allowances or business rate discounts. The sites offer a unique opportunity for businesses wishing to establish production facilities alongside the centres of science excellence. In particular, there is a vision at Protos (Ince Park) to create a Nationally Strategic Energy Hub with innovation, energy generation, and industry at its core. Proposed Local Development Orders (LDOs) at Hooton Park and Thornton Science Park will simplify the planning process.

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