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Southampton Science Park
has unveiled development plans that will augment its
position as the premier location for technology-based businesses in
the South East.
The
Science Park has submitted a 'reserved matters' planning
application for 9,500 sq.m. of new accommodation on land at Kennels
Farm being acquired from Hampshire County Council. The application
has been submitted to Test Valley Borough Council and, if approved,
will pave the way for a high quality development adjoining the
existing Park that will have at its heart the concepts of
sustainability and low density.
"There
are no immediate plans to build at Kennels Farm, but it is right
that we should be prepared to respond to the right economic climate
to satisfy increasing demand for high quality space among
knowledge-based businesses in the South East," commented Dr Don
Fox, Chief Executive of Southampton Science Park.
The
plans submitted to Test Valley, prepared by Winchester based
architects Temple Knott Lewis, depict 5 two-and three-storey
buildings in a parkland setting. The development incorporates
sustainable construction techniques and materials, energy efficient
architectural design, advanced lighting systems, comprehensive
environmental management and integration with the site's existing
green transport policy. No building will be visible from any public
area outside the Science Park boundary.
"The
emphasis will be very much on high quality, low impact, buildings
for research and development-led businesses, and we expect that
Kennels Farm will become a natural home for those start-up
businesses from our Incubators which develop into successful
enterprises. Our occupiers will include research and development-led
businesses, spinning out from the University and creating high
value, high tech, jobs."
The
South East England Development Agency (SEEDA), which has located its
Enterprise Hub at the Science Park, welcomed the plans.
"The
Science Park is already a strategically important location in the
South East," said Marianne Neville-Rolfe, Director of SEEDA's
Business and International Division. "It is vital to the future of
our economy that we support knowledge-based businesses, both through
close co-operation with our leading universities and by providing
appropriate accommodation in a supportive business environment."
Leader
of Hampshire County Council, Councillor Ken Thornber, said:
"Kennels Farm has long been earmarked for development and we are
delighted to play our part in enhancing Hampshire's growing
reputation as a location for some of the most successful businesses
in the world." |
