Funding agreed for new 35,000 sq ft Suffolk innovation hub

Funding of £18.8m has been agreed to create a 35,000 sq ft Skills & Innovation Centre at Gateway 14 in Stowmarket, Suffolk. The scheme is being developed by Mid-Suffolk Council’s wholly-owned subsidiary Gateway 14 in partnership with developer Jaynic. Mid Suffolk District Council’s plan for the new three-storey centre at Gateway 14, part of the Freeport East site, includes office space for start-ups, collaboration spaces, training and meeting rooms, as well as a café. Freeport East agreed £16.7m funding for the state-of-the-art centre in March, and last week, with Mid Suffolk’s cabinet meeting the remaining costs of the project. Steve Beel, chief executive at Freeport East, said: “The new centre, along with other recent announcements, significantly strengthens our ability to market the Stowmarket and Mid Suffolk area to various companies, both in the UK and internationally. This positions our region as one of the top choices for inward investment in the UK.” Mid Suffolk District Council leader Andy Mellen, added: “This centre will create a fantastic talent pipeline for local businesses – with a particular focus on the green economy, digital and AI technology. Ben Oughton, Jaynic’s development director, said the scheme was making great progress and that potential occupiers were “recognising its huge benefits”. The project will now go into pre-planning and a technical design phase.