Gateway 14 Innovation & Skills Centre

Description

Development of a Skills & Innovation Centre on the Gateway 14 site (a Freeport East tax site) at Stowmarket, Suffolk. Including Cat B fit out. Approximately 33,552 sq ft 'hybrid' floor area comprising separate office units, co-working space, public cafe, flexible ground floor training and meeting rooms and service support/amenity areas. Approximately 150 car parking bays. Lot 1: Sale of a serviced site of 2.16 acres at Gateway 14 (part of Freeport East), at Stowmarket, Suffolk (the site) (the sale). The sale of the site will be accompanied by a works contract for the construction, including fit out, of a new 33,552 sq ft freehold Skills & Innovation Centre and 150 car parking spaces (the Works). The Site already has detailed planning permission for infrastructure to access it, and outline planning permission which can accommodate the Skills & Innovation Centre and 150 car parking spaces. The Council must, in order to enjoy the benefit of the Site and the new-build Skills & Innovation Centre, award a contract for the maintenance of the Gateway 14 development (e.g. the estate roads, open-space landscape maintenance, surface water attenuation, site security etc.) and a service charge will be payable in this respect (the Services). The Sale, the Works and the Services are referenced throughout as the Opportunity. Additional information: There is no option for MSDC other than to go down this route to locate/develop the Skills and Innovation Centre at this location and due to Freeport status benefits including accessing £6m of seed fund capital grant. The Council is using the most prudent funding option. Without Freeport benefits the scheme is not viable and would not proceed. It is a social impact and skills gap benefitting intervention to deliver benefits to the local area and wider Freeport East (including labour force development)