Derby City Council has announced progress on the new Nuclear AMRC Midlands site after a successful interim period in the iHub at Infinity Park Derby.
Stephen George + Partners (SGP) has announced it is pleased with the progress of the new 46,904ft² (4,357m²) research and development (R&D) design and manufacturing centre at Infinity Park Derby (IPD), for Nuclear AMRC Midlands.
IPD is an ongoing collaboration between Derby City Council, the Harper Crewe Estate, Rolls-Royce and developers IPD LLP, Wilson Bowden and Peveril Securities.
The employment park is situated next to the world headquarters of Rolls-Royce Civil Aerospace and is located within 15 minutes of OEMs such as Toyota, JCB and Alstom.
Working with the project’s developers March Developments, SGP designed the operational facility to suit R&D and advanced manufacturing requirements.
The 21,528ft² (2,000m²) manufacturing centre, with a haunch height of 10m, was designed to provide the optimal layout for flow, positioning of equipment and maximum use of space. The two storey 25,210ft² (2,342m²) office and welfare facility contains laboratories, testing and prototyping facilities along with technical development offices.
A double height atrium marks the entrance to the facility and provides exhibition space to showcase the work carried out at the facility.
This new facility for advanced manufacturing is expected to add £52m to the local Derby economy during a five-year period, therefore supporting local SMEs to grow by creating R&D opportunities.
The hub will reportedly be fitted with green infrastructure, which has been specifically developed to provide long-term environmental benefits and potentially support an important area for wetland habitats.
The D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) awarded Derby City Council more than £9m in funding – £6.875m from its Getting Building Fund and £2.2m from its Growing Places Fund – to contribute to the development of the site.
The Nuclear AMRC Midlands facility will reportedly deliver 70 direct jobs and will support 100 businesses through collaborative research and supply chain development projects within the first five years, in high-value sectors such as aerospace, automotive, rail, nuclear and low-carbon energy technologies.
Andrew Storer, CEO of the Nuclear AMRC, said: “The new Nuclear AMRC Midlands facility will play a vital role in helping manufacturers seize the opportunities and tackle the challenges of the national transition to net zero emissions.
“As the first High Value Manufacturing Catapult facility in the East Midlands, we will continue to work closely with local industry, academic and government partners to deliver sustainable growth for decades to come.
“The coming years will see increasing investment into clean energy and low-carbon technologies, and the region is well placed to capitalise on the opportunity thanks to its wealth of experience, innovation, and engineering expertise.”
The facility is intended to support collaboration between Nuclear AMRC and the University of Derby’s Institute for Innovation in Sustainable Manufacturing (IISE), in the hopes of the two carrying out research, innovation, supply chain development and teaching together. This, in turn, is hoped to develop the region’s research and commercial opportunities in the manufacturing sector.
