December 2014

22 December 2014

Runway improvement works complete

People can now see a pilots’ eye view of the newly improved 1,300 runway at Daedalus, thanks to footage captured by a drone mounted camera.

The runway has recently undergone £1.5M of improvements as part of the efforts to establish the Solent Enterprise Zone as a destination for aviation and aerospace businesses.

The project, funded by Fareham Borough Council, included resurfacing and relining the main runway strip, repairs to taxiways and the installation of ducting to enable the future provision of runway lighting. The work is expected to extend the lifespan of the airfield and play an important role in attracting new businesses to the enterprise zone and the airfield.

Executive Leader of Fareham Borough Council, Conservative Councillor Seán Woodward, said: “I’m delighted to see this work entirely funded by Fareham Borough Council completed on time and on budget. These improvements are another step towards the airfield gaining a commercial licence, allowing a greater variety of planes to use it. This will in turn encourage more aviation businesses to base themselves on the site, contributing to an already thriving aviation community there.”

Contractors Raymond Brown carried out the work and filmed the drone footage, with Hampshire County Council overseeing it. Ray Sims, (Area Manager) from Raymond Brown, said: “We are extremely proud to have been involved in taking the development of the airfield forward. Although the work has been logistically challenging, there has been a terrific team effort from all parties to deliver the project within the required timescales.”

The improvements to the runway are part of a £8.3m package of investment by Fareham Borough Council and the Homes and Communities Agency at the Solent Enterprise Zone at Daedalus, with the aim of transforming it into a business destination, supported by the airfield and contributing towards a target of 3,500 new jobs. Other elements include the construction of a business Innovation Centre and the development of new hangar space.

This investment package is supported by the Homes and Communities, which currently owns the airfield and the Enterprise Zone site, the Solent Local Enterprise Partnership and Hampshire County Council.

Esther Croft, HCA area manager, said: “This work is an important step towards improving the offer for businesses who want to use the airfield, move or expand their operations on the Solent Enterprise Zone at Daedalus. “It builds on the investment being made in improvements across the site and demonstrates that the enterprise zone is very much open for business.”

You can view the drone footage on the Council’s You Tube page: www.youtube.com/channel/UC39BODyxEECyUQ1XLIjI4Ng External Hyperlink, where you can also see a timelapse video of the new Innovation Centre at Daedalus being built.

Airfield users who wish to find out more about the changes should contact the operators on 023 9255 1015/023 9255 1714

ENDS

19 December 2014

Solent leaders write to Minister about possible combined authority

Leaders from the Partnership for Urban South Hampshire (PUSH) and the Solent Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) have written to Rt Hon Greg Clark MP, the Minister of State for Universities, Skills and Cities to tell him that they are keen to explore the option of a combined authority for the Solent Area.

They also asked for feedback on a Government consultation that took place earlier in the year inviting comments on the proposals to change legislation relating to Combined Authorities to allow greater flexibility around county and district boundaries.

The councils that are part of PUSH and the Solent LEP have been working closely together for over 13 years. Following discussions between the authorities in December they outlined the following options:

A Combined Authority that covers the PUSH/Solent LEP boundaries. This would cover the whole of Fareham, Gosport, Portsmouth, Havant; Isle of Wight, Southampton and Eastleigh. Under this option parts of Winchester, Test Valley, East Hampshire and the New Forest would also be included. This option requires a change in the existing legislation.
A Combined Authority that includes only those councils whose whole boundaries are within the PUSH/Solent LEP area. This would include Fareham, Gosport, Havant, Portsmouth; Isle of Wight, Southampton and Eastleigh. This option could be put in place without any changes to the current legislation.

Chairman of PUSH, Conservative Councillor Seán Woodward said: “This is a great opportunity to deliver services and take control locally of current national budgets to enable economic improvement such as transport initiatives in the Solent area and I hope the Government is able to provide us with the information we need to drive forward this exciting and potentially productive initiative in the Solent area.”

PUSH in collaboration with the Solent LEP is hoping to hold a half day workshop early in 2015 to discuss the options further. In the letter an invitation was extended to the most appropriate Minister or a civil servant to attend the workshop as a key speaker and discuss Combined Authorities in more detail.

ENDS

17 December 2014

Conservation volunteers thanked for their hard work

Executive Leader of Fareham Borough Council, Conservative Cllr Seán Woodward, has visited the Coldeast site in Sarisbury and praised conservation volunteers for their work.A picture of Councillor Woodward pruning an apple tree.

The site is where the new Western Wards Leisure Centre and pool is planned to be built, however much of the land has been taken on by the Council’s Countryside Service and is now being managed for the community to enjoy. The area is important for a diverse range of wildlife and includes woodland, meadow, orchards and ponds.

Volunteers, led by our Countryside Service, have been working to:

Improve the pond – some of the banks have been widened and stabilised and scrub/trees around most of the pond have been removed to open it up to the public.
In the woodland – remove non-native species, such as Laurel and Rhododendron, and plant native species such as Hazel, Field Maple and Hawthorn. The paths are also being improved.
In the orchard – clear scrub and prune fruit trees.

During his tour of the site, Cllr Woodward lent a hand by helping to prune an apple tree (see picture). He said: “Coldeast is an important site with a range of different habitats. Volunteers have been doing a fantastic job here helping to restore it to an open space which the whole community will be able to enjoy.”

ENDS

2 December 2014

Topping Out ceremony held at Fareham Innovation Centre, Daedalus

A topping out ceremony has been held at Fareham Innovation Centre at Daedalus, to celebrate progress in its construction.

The Mayor of Fareham, Cllr David Norris, performed the ceremonial duty of securing a plaster board inside the Innovation Centre.

The £5.3m Innovation Centre will contain office space and workshop facilities for new businesses, with a focus on the engineering, aerospace, aviation and marine industries. The project will create around 150 new jobs.

The development is part of £8.3m investment from Fareham Borough Council and the Homes and Communities Agency at the Solent Enterprise Zone at Daedalus, which includes improvements to the runway and new hangar space. In September Fareham College opened a new Centre for Engineering and Manufacturing Advanced Skills Training (CEMAST) on the site. Bouygues UK delivered CEMAST and is also responsible for the construction of the Innovation Centre, adding to its reputation for providing modern, high quality, environmentally sustainable facilities to support the Solent Enterprise Zone.

Executive Leader of Fareham Borough Council, Conservative Cllr Seán Woodward, said: “It’s great to see progress is being made on the construction of the Innovation Centre. When it’s finished in spring new companies in engineering, aerospace, aviation and marine will benefit from top of the range support and facilities. This in turn will mean the creation of highly skilled local jobs, which will benefit the whole area.”

The Innovation Centre will be managed by Oxford Innovation. Oxford Innovation has extensive experience in operating state-of-the-art Innovation Centres facilities. Currently managing a network of 21 centres across the UK, used by over 900 companies, Oxford Innovation aim to provide businesses with a structured and supportive environment where companies can readily access first class business support as well as flexible workspace.

Chris Allington, Managing Director of Oxford Innovation’s Business & Innovation Centres division, added: “We are delighted to have been appointed to manage the Innovation Centre at Daedalus, which will be a key part of attracting growing businesses to the Solent Enterprise Zone. We are pleased to have this opportunity to assist local businesses in engineering, aerospace, aviation and marine to succeed and grow and look forward to working in partnership with Fareham Borough Council.”

The Innovation Centre has been supported by a £5.3m investment from the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) which is working with partners to bring thousands of new jobs and investment to the Solent Enterprise Zone.

HCA area manager Esther Croft added: “This project is an important part of partners’ wider efforts to turn the Solent Enterprise Zone into a ‘go-to’ destination for businesses in the south east of England. “These are exciting times for the project, with construction happening across the site and hundreds of students benefitting from top class training and education at the CEMAST centre. I’m sure this centre will be welcomed by local businesses and I look forward to seeing the project complete and occupied in a few months’ time.”

Work on the Innovation Centre is expected to be finished March 2015.

ENDS

Notes to editors: It is estimated that around 3,500 jobs will be created within the Enterprise Zone over the life of the Zone, turning the area into a destination of choice for advanced manufacturing and technology businesses, especially within the marine, aerospace and aviation sectors.

The Enterprise Zone is led by the Solent Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), the local authorities within the Partnership for Urban South Hampshire (PUSH) and the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA), which owns much of the land within the Zone. A timelapse video of the construction is available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkl7Xgj-Ui0

Bouygues UK: In recent years, Bouygues UK has increased its presence in the UK through the acquisition of Warings, Thomas Vale, Leadbitter and Denne. These, together with our existing construction and housing operations and those of our property development company, Bouygues Development, position us as a major British player with a combined turnover of around £800 million, approximately 130 sites and 1600 people. Bouygues UK is wholly owned by Bouygues Bâtiment International, a subsidiary of Bouygues Construction. A leader in sustainable construction, the Group and its 52,200 employees have a long-term commitment to helping their customers shape a better life. In 2013, Bouygues Construction generated sales of 11.1 billion Euros.

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