Solent Enterprise Zone at Daedalus, Gosport and Fareham
Description:
Formally a military airfield and training base this substantial 200 hectare site was decommissioned in 1996 and ownership transferred to the public sector to enable its redevelopment. In 2012 it was given Enterprise Zone status and has subsequently benefited significantly from a Government backed multi-million pound investment programme of on-site and off-site infrastructure improvements.
The Solent Enterprise Zone (SEZ) at Daedalus is now split into two separate land parcels currently owned by Homes England and Fareham Borough Council. There is outline planning consent from Gosport and Fareham councils for over 1 million sqft (92,903 sqm) of commercial development as well as homes and community facilities. A significant amount of development is already completed or underway.
Road accessibility to and from the SEZ has been enhanced with a focus on M27 connectivity as part of the public sector infrastructure investment programme. Completed upgrades to Newgate Lane have improved existing connections to the A32 and M27 and, when completed in 2021, the Stubbington Bypass will further enhance linkages to the M27.
Solent Airport, at the centre of the SEZ, has also been upgraded as a result of the public sector investment. The Solent Airport runway is operated by Regional and City Airports.
The airport welcomes general and corporate fixed-wing and rotary aircraft that combined currently equate to approximately 34,000 air movements per annum. The Airport is a CAA-approved Licensed Aerodrome providing Flight Information Service, operating to CAT A2 Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting standards, and has secured Border Force approval for overseas flights to and from the EU, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. The airport offers slot-free aircraft access, comprehensive ground handling, maintenance and refuelling services, crew facilities, managed hangarage and aircraft parking.
In addition to the airport, the SEZ also benefits from having access to a marine slipway to the Solent that occupiers can use to transport products and raw materials by water. The slipway is also used by Hovertravel for regular tourist/leisure related trips to and from the Isle of Wight.
Other on-site facilities include the Fareham Innovation Centre, with 75 serviced offices and workshop units, plus conference and meeting rooms, and CEMAST (the Centre of Excellence in Engineering, Manufacturing and Advanced Skills Training). CEMAST has 1,300 students enrolled in automotive, marine and aerospace related engineering and manufacturing apprenticeships; thereby providing an ongoing supply of skilled labour for local employers.
As a result of both public and private sector investment business parks and serviced plots are now being brought forward across the SEZ i.e. Daedalus Park and Faraday Business Park; and Fareham Innovation Centre has recently been extended. Therefore long standing SEZ occupiers such as Britten-Norman, Phoenix Aviation, Marine Concepts, MonsterCam and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency are being joined by a wide range and increasing number of start-ups, micro businesses and SMEs.
In terms of place making, in addition to proposed community, leisure and recreational facilities on the SEZ, new housing is already being built within or adjacent to the site. 101 dwellings were completed in 2016 adjacent to the SEZ by Barratt David Wilson Homes at Seacrest Gardens; and Wates, as Homes England’s Accelerated Construction Delivery company partner, are currently building 200 (1,2,3 and 4 bedroom houses) on-site to create Daedalus Village. The SEZ is also adjacent to Lee-on-the-Solent, a district centre with further residential, retail, amenity and seafront attraction offers.
The opportunity:
Fareham Innovation Centre
Owner: Fareham Borough Council
Manager and Operator: Oxford Innovation All-inclusive rental
Offering 36,500 square feet of floor space, 55 offices and 20 workshops along with a state-of-the-art conference suite with cutting edge technology, and a terrace affording panoramic views across the airport, the Innovation Centre was launched in 2015, with Phase 2 coming on stream in July 2018.
Providing start-up business space for predominantly marine, aerospace and automotive engineering and manufacturing businesses, the Innovation Centre continues to be one of the most successful Centre run nationally, under Oxford Innovation’s portfolio of Innovation Centres.
An all-inclusive rent which incorporates business rates and mentoring support provide a compelling proposition for innovators, start-ups, entrepreneurs and emerging businesses all seeking to grow, as indeed does the impressive range of offices and workshop spaces on offer.
Situated within Faraday Business Park and adjacent to CEMAST engineering college, Fareham Innovation Centre leads the way for companies to bring their creative ideas to life.
Having achieved full occupancy within the first 11 months of opening the Centre achieved 80% occupancy for the entire building within a year of launching the extension.
Faraday Business Park
Landowner and planning authority: Fareham Borough Council. All plots have outline planning consent.
Faraday Business Park offers space for aviation, aerospace, marine, engineering, advanced manufacturing and more general business uses. 88,000 sq ft of new high quality business units are occupied by companies including PropTech, Universal Tool Products and HC Coils. In addition, there are 16 business and general aviation hangers with airside access totalling 103,000 sq ft. Moving forward, there are a range of serviced airside and non-airside plots, with direct access to the Solent Airport, together with extensive opportunities for Design and Build Sites and Roadside Opportunities. A small development of speculative units is currently being marketed.
Aviation and general commercial business plots and hangarage available, fully serviced for either self-build, turnkey development or lease. All plots benefit from superfast broadband.
With up to 50,000m² available for commercial development, plots range from one to six acres and there is potential for larger scale development of up to 16 acres within the estate.
Outline planning is already in place which means designing and building purpose-built new premises is a much simpler process.
- A range of serviced plots available
- Open to a variety of occupiers and part of the Solent Enterprise Zone
- Outline planning consent for B1, B2 & B8
- Design & Build opportunities
- Direct access to Solent Airport
- Five new hangars featuring ample shared parking and access to a community building
- Four Grade A high specification units of between 12,000 and 24,000 sq ft completed in 2021
Swordfish Business Park
Landowner and planning authority: Fareham Borough Council. All plots have outline planning consent.
Enjoying a prime location close to the runway and with direct access onto Gosport Road, infrastructure works to Swordfish Business Park commenced in 2018.
Daedalus Park
Daedalus Park is a brand-new development by Tidebank, providing a range of industrial units sized from 1,500 to 9,500 sq.ft. Developed in two phases, the first phase of 30 units are fully occupied. The construction of phase two is now complete comprising of smaller sized units, starting from 1,500 sq.ft.
Daedalus Waterfront
Landowner: Homes England.
Planning Authority: Gosport Borough Council. Outline planning consent for the entire Waterfront development area.
Size: 23 Hectares
As the southernmost part of the SEZ the Daedalus Waterfront site overlooks the Solent and the Isle of Wight. It is located adjacent to Lee-on-the-Solent district centre and seafront, with access to a marine slipway into the Solent.
Further to the outline planning application (Ref: 11/00282/OUT) that was approved in March 2012 proposals for the Daedalus Waterfront site should be for an employment-led regeneration scheme with a mix of uses as follows:
- 75,000 sqm (gross) employment floorspace (B1, B2 and B8)
- Daedalus Park a 14,954 sqm, 65 unit scheme has already been constructed by Tidebank
- A range of hotel, leisure and recreational facilities to enhance the visitor attractions at Lee-on-the-Solent
- Food and drink premises
- Community facilities to meet local requirements and make the best use of available buildings
- Up to 350 dwellings
The Daedalus Waterfront site now forms part of the wider Gosport Heritage Action Zone that was designated by Historic England in November 2018, with a five year delivery plan launched in June 2019. Advice and support can therefore be provided to developers to help bring the historic assets back into active use e.g. feasibility studies.
To support the redevelopment of Daedalus Waterfront, Homes England has partnered with Gosport Borough Council, Hampshire County Council and the Solent Local Enterprise Partnership to undertake a programme of enabling infrastructure works for the site. As a result the Daedalus Park industrial scheme has already been brought forward in two phases to provide 65 units for SMEs.
Location:
The SEZ is located to the west of Portsmouth Harbour at Lee-on-the-Solent. Fareham and Gosport town centres are within a 10-15 minute drive and central Portsmouth is within 10 miles. The nearest M27 motorway junctions (9, 10 and 11) are all within 5 miles and the connecting road network is being enhanced.
In addition to the on-site Solent Airport, further air links are provided by Southampton International Airport that is 11 miles away on the M27. At the southern end of the SEZ a marine slipway provides direct access to the Solent.
Planning status:
The SEZ falls within the local authority areas of Fareham and Gosport with both councils working closely together to ensure a successful comprehensive redevelopment of the site. A Joint Planning Statement for Daedalus was published in April 2006 and two outline planning applications for the proposed redevelopment of most of the site approved by the councils in March 2012. The proposals in total give outline consent for over 1 million sqft (92,903 sqm) of commercial development as well as homes and community facilities.
The northern part of the SEZ that includes Solent Airport, Fareham Innovation Centre and CEMAST is situated within the Fareham local authority area and has outline planning permission for up to 50,202 sqm of floor space in new and existing buildings for office, general industrial and storage and distribution uses (Ref: P/11/0436/OA). This permission is being brought forward for development in phases by Fareham Borough Council as the land owner at Faraday and Swordfish Business Parks.
The southern part of the SEZ is situated within the Gosport local authority area. A Daedalus Supplementary Planning Document was adopted in September 2011 that set out Gosport Borough Council’s vision, development strategy and an outline of key development considerations for the Daedalus Waterfront site.
It is identified in the adopted Gosport Borough Local Plan 2011-2029 as the Daedalus Regeneration Area and has outline planning permission for up to 75,000 sqm of employment space; plus hotel, leisure and recreational facilities, food and drink premises, community facilities and housing (Ref. No: 11/00282/OUT).
You can read more via the links below:
Gosport.gov.uk Bourough Council
Enterprise Zone incentives:
Businesses that locate on Enterprise Zone can access a number of benefits, in addition to significant public sector infrastructure investment in the sites. These benefits include:
- Superfast broadband connectivity
- Various funding assistance available through the Solent LEP: www.solentlep.org.uk
Development considerations:
Gosport Borough Council (Daedalus Waterfront)
In order to deliver the objectives of the adopted Gosport Borough Local Plan 2011-2029 Daedalus has been identified as one of five Regeneration Areas (Policy LP5). It is considered important to create a vibrant place for business with a focus on generating new jobs. This employment-led mixed use site will need to be integrated with Lee-on-the-Solent and complement and support the regeneration of the existing local centre and seafront.
The site also forms part of the Daedalus Conservation Area and it will be important to foster a distinctive identity for Daedalus based on its heritage. This will be achieved through the restoration of existing buildings and the creation of high quality new buildings which complement the Daedalus Conservation Area and the historic buildings, including a number of Listed Buildings. The Daedalus Supplementary Planning Document includes detailed design principles to ensure the built heritage is conserved and/or enhanced.
The site is within 100 metres of the mudflats at Hill Head which form part of the Solent and Southampton Water Special Protection Area (SPA) and Ramsar site which are of international importance for wading birds. Therefore it will be necessary to ensure proposals avoid and mitigate any impacts on internationally important habitats and species.
Site investment:
The total public sector infrastructure investment in support of the Enterprise Zone to date is approximately £50m. This investment includes significant highway improvements, runway upgrades, plus CEMAST and the Fareham Innovation Centre.
Local authority: Fareham Borough Council and Gosport Borough Council
Address: Daedalus, Fareham and Gosport, PO13 9FL
You can find out more about our Aerospace sector in Hampshire here.
