Discovery Park Enterprise Zone celebrates first anniversary

Europe’s leading science, business and enterprise park is celebrating two successful milestones as it completes its first successful year and sees its tenants grow to 50.

Following its launch in August 2012, Discovery Park Enterprise Zone, based at Sandwich in East Kent, is now home to 50 businesses and employs more than 1,300 staff in a wide variety of sectors such as life sciences, technology, business and manufacturing, with tenants including Augean, Mylan, LGC, Peakdale Chemistry Services, Reeves, Cleantec Innovation and Digital Detective.

Discovery Park Ltd purchased the site 12 months ago, when it was home to just five businesses and 800 staff on site, and a year on has demonstrated steady growth since its new owners took over, with the consortium’s aim to generate 3,000 new jobs by 2017 well underway.

As one of the Government’s most successful Enterprise Zones and the largest business park in the UK, the 220-acre site has attracted a diverse range of companies and organisations over the past 12 months.

Tommy Dolan, Pfizer Site Head at Discovery Park, Sandwich said: 'Pfizer is proud to be part of the development of Discovery Park which holds exciting opportunities for the future. The site offers a thriving business community in which our colleagues here work on Pfizer’s mid to late stage development pipeline and developing medicines for clinical trials in a wide range of disease areas, including cancer, diabetes and Alzheimer’s.'

Discovery Park tenant Investaco Independent Financial Advisors moved onto site in March. Jim Cook, Managing Director, Investaco, said: 'Since moving here we have continually been impressed with the professionalism of all the Discovery Park team. They go out of their way to ensure that any issues we may have are swiftly resolved and are always on hand to help. We have found the facilities second to none and over the past six months we have really noticed the improvements over the park.

'What is great about being here is the scope for expansion. Investaco is rapidly growing, and in the six months we have been here we have taken on six new members of staff and are expecting to continue to grow over the remainder of the year. We are confident that Discovery Park will continually be able to meet our needs as we expand.'

BayPoint Leisure opened up its gym on site in September last year. Peter Morris, Operations Director, BayPoint Leisure Club, said: 'BayPoint has many synergies with Discovery Park. Since our launch in September 2012 BayPoint has seen an incredible 1,500 join up as members with around 150 of these members using the BayPoint@Work Discovery Park gym. We are proud to be playing a major role in providing facilities and services to the local community, creating jobs and healthy lifestyles in the process.'

As well as supporting the local business community, helping to boost enterprise and create employment, over the past 12 months Discovery Park was the location for 1,400 children at the East Kent Science Jamboree and the Hollywood blockbuster World War Z. In June of this year Estover Energy also announced its proposal to develop a £65m biomass Combined Heat and Power (CHP) plant at the Park to supply power to the site and energy to 20,000 homes.

Communities Secretary Eric Pickles said: 'A year ago we gave Sandwich the impetus to recover from Pfizer's departure. Since then Discovery Park has created 1,300 jobs and attracted 50 new companies, turning it into one of the leading science and technology centres in Europe.

'This is further proof that Enterprise Zones are backing the industries of the future, rebalancing the economy by creating new jobs across the country and making the UK a great place to do business.'

Anna Stone, Leasing Manager, Discovery Park, said: 'This has been an exciting year for the whole team as we develop the Park’s reputation as a leading science, technology and business hub, and we are delighted to welcome our 50th tenant on board. The Park is now starting to buzz with new businesses and opportunities, which is great news for the tenants and for the wider area, who will benefit from the investment and business opportunities.

'We believe that offering such a diverse range of services in one location - from laboratories to incubator space, specialist niche manufacturing and R&D facilities to warehouse units and high spec offices - is a unique proposition and one that sets Sandwich apart from its competitors. In addition, our tenants have been able to take full advantage of the benefits of the site’s Enterprise Zone status, 0% interest loans from Expansion East Kent, and the government funded tax reliefs for science companies as an incentive.

'Our vision is quite simple, to create a world class science, technology and business location, offering excellent facilities - including a gym, an artisan bakery, restaurant and cafés, tenant benefit schemes and high speed broadband across the site. To ensure the Park continues to evolve, we are committed to responding to market demand and offer bespoke, tailored packages to meet the needs of all businesses – large or small.'

Discovery Park is one of the largest business parks in Europe and its specialist focus on science and technology has enabled it to create a unique platform for emerging and established companies in the fields of biotechnology; life science; pharmaceuticals; research and development; science and technology, to connect, share knowledge and expertise.