The Centre of Excellence in Sustainable Advanced Manufacturing (CESAM) has taken 126,279 sq ft at The International Advanced Manufacturing Park (IAMP), with planning submitted this week for a space that will provide research, development and training facilities.
IAMP is being delivered in a joint venture between Sunderland City Council and South Tyneside Council, with Henry Boot Developments (HBD) as appointed delivery partner. The first phase, IAMP ONE, covers 125 acres and will deliver 1.6m sq ft of advanced manufacturing and industrial space.
The CESAM facility will ensure that manufactures in the region and beyond have access to cutting-edge open innovation, adoption and knowledge transfer, providing a catalyst for sustainable productivity improvement.
Occupying a prominent plot within the scheme, covering 10.6 acres, the building will comprise office space, a production facility and yard, along with 300 car parking spaces.
The planning submission comes just days after proposals were entered for the second manufacturing base, an additional 131,000 sq ft building at IAMP.
Tom Wheldon, Regional Manager at Henry Boot Developments, said: “IAMP offers a unique opportunity for advanced manufacturing businesses to supercharge their growth targets, and will no doubt prove the perfect location for CESAM’s manufacturing and teaching facility.
“IAMP is a game-changing scheme for the North East – with its port connections, strong local skills base, significant power capacity and connectivity, there is no better location for companies in the automotive and advanced manufacturing industries. It will bring significant investment and employment returns into the area and we’ve been very encouraged by conversations taking place with prospective occupiers.”
Councillor Graeme Miller, Leader of Sunderland City Council, said: “In the face of ongoing uncertainty created by Brexit, as well global challenges facing the automotive sector, we are working as hard as we possibly can to ensure IAMP continues to attract investment, and the CESAM building will bolster IAMP as the place of choice for industry for all kinds of manufacturers – including automotive.
“This is an ambitious development and one that is gathering momentum. Our ambition for IAMP is to diversify our economy, and create many thousands of jobs for decades to come. The strong pipeline of interest we have gained from a broad range of manufacturing industries backs that up.”
Councillor Iain Malcom, Leader of South Tyneside Council, added: “We have seen SNOP‘s factory rise from the ground, and in very short succession, two applications are progressing for IAMP, which is a huge coup for this scheme.
“More than that though, CESAM represents a facility that will transform the region’s capabilities when it comes to innovation, and that will make the North East an even more exciting proposition to investors.”
He added: “Despite market uncertainty, the momentum we are seeing, and the interest in this site absolutely demonstrates that the North East is open for business and a hugely attractive place to invest.”