Property
Pictured in reception is, left, Stephen Brownlie, Centre Director, with Councillor Seán Woodward, Executive Leader of Fareham Borough Council.
Published: January 16, 2024 | Updated: 16th January 2024
Fareham Innovation Centre, the workspace provider run by Oxford Business Space on behalf of Fareham Borough Council, is nearing full capacity.
The Lee-on-the-Solent innovation centre has reached record occupancy levels with 57 technology-led companies. The site features 55 serviced offices, 20 workshops, conference facilities and meeting rooms, with a record 350 people on site.
Stephen Brownlie, Centre Director, said: “When we opened the centre’s doors for the first time, back in April 2015, we had little idea that commercial demand for flexible serviced offices, co-working space, workshops and meeting rooms would be such that a larger building would soon be required.
“Just three years later, in 2018, the centre more than doubled in size with a seamless extension, including a conference/events suite for up to 120 people.
“Of the 36,375 sq ft here, 34,500 sq ft is spoken for as we enter 2024, with several companies looking to fill what is available.
“To date, more than 250 companies have benefitted from working life at the centre, drawing upon knowledge, expertise, in-house business support and ambition.
“You can sense the buzz as soon you walk into reception – there is a pioneering spirit of innovation and collaboration that defines Fareham Innovation Centre.”
Councillor Seán Woodward, Executive Leader of Fareham Borough Council, said: “Fareham Innovation Centre was opened in 2015 and was fully occupied within the first year.
“It was so successful that we added a significant extension in 2018 which not only included more office and workshop space, but state-of-the-art conference facilities.
“Now almost at capacity once again, I am extremely proud that the innovation centre has become a hub for engineering, aerospace, aviation and marine industries, to name a few, under Fareham Borough Council’s ownership.”
Stephen added: “We have a thriving ecosystem of entrepreneurs, innovators and owner-managers who are available to call upon the expertise of our in-house Innovation Director and one another in a highly supportive, vibrant and engaging business environment.
“An example of innovation at the centre includes a world-first robotics system, which retrieves newly manufactured hard drives from storage stacks for automated shipment – it was designed and built here from scratch in just 11 months.”
The centre has close ties to Fareham College’s Centre for Engineering and Manufacturing Advanced Skills Training – CEMAST – located across the road, along with Fareham College itself and a number of regional universities under knowledge sharing placements.
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