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Work on new £18.8m skills centre begins

Luke Deal & Alice Cunningham
BBC News, Suffolk
Mid Suffolk District Council An artist's impression of what the front and exterior of what the new centre could look like. It is largely made up of large glass windows across three storeys. A car park is in front of the building which has some trees dotted throughout. Animated people can be seen walking to and from the building including one person who is cycling.Mid Suffolk District Council
The new innovation and skills centre will be located within the Gateway 14 business park

Work has begun to build a new £18.8m skills and innovation centre.

A ground-breaking ceremony marked the start of the centre's construction at the Gateway 14 business park off the A14 near Stowmarket in Suffolk.

The three-storey centre has been funded largely by Freeport East as well as Mid Suffolk District Council.

Richard Winch from the council and Steve Beel of Freeport East both said the centre would help support the local and wider regional economy.

Luke Deal/BBC Steve Beel stands next to Richard Winch on the site where the new innovation centre will be building. Mr Beel wears a navy suit with a light blue shirt underneath and a navy tie with red spots. Mr Winch wears a navy suit jacket with a blue shirt underneath. Luke Deal/BBC
Steve Beel (left) and Richard Winch believe the new centre will attract both UK and international companies

Mr Beel, chief executive of Freeport East, said the centre would be built and operational by the middle of next year.

It will sit at the heart of Gateway 14, which is a business, innovation and logistics space adjacent to junction 50 of the A14.

The 35,000 sq ft centre will include office space for start-up companies and will become a hub for other businesses.

Luke Deal/BBC A group of people stand in a large field close to where a digger rests. Luke Deal/BBC
The ground breaking ceremony took place on Thursday morning at Gateway 14

Mr Beel said the location was significant for investors, as it was "within touching distance of Felixstowe, but also well connected to a lot of the region's universities which are world class".

"It's also about bringing on skilled employees for the local area to support those businesses as well," he said.

He believed the centre could attract companies interested in green-focused areas as well as "cutting edge" technologies, like AI.

Luke Deal/BBC A large group of people stand to the right of the image. A digger rests in the middle behind two white signs. A camera crew interview some people to the left of the image. Luke Deal/BBC
The centre will also be used for training and working with local universities and colleges to address skill gaps

Winch, who is in charge of housing and property at the council, believed the centre could attract university students who could bridge a skills gap.

"We're hoping that this will really help the regional economy develop," he added.

"We have to be realistic and we have to have it well structured, but I think we're pretty sure that there is a demand for this."

Freeport East agreed to £16.66m in funding for the centre last year, with the council meeting the remaining cost.

Gateway 14 is already home to a large warehouse for The Range that opened last year with construction work under way for other facilities on site.

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