Pioneer are delighted to announce that plans have been approved for a major new Freeport Development at Wilton Centre in the North-East of England.

Wilton Centre is one of Europe’s largest R&D sites and is now set to expand by almost 150,000 sq ft, bringing much-needed technical/manufacturing space, laboratories and offices to Teesside, plus creating space for several hundred new jobs.

Benefits of the Freeport Development

The buildings will be inside the boundary of the Teesside Freeport, meaning occupiers will benefit from a range of incentives, including savings on Stamp Duty, Business Rates and National Insurance contributions.

There will be 16 units providing technical development space, a two-storey incubator building containing shared lab facilities and fully-equipped laboratories, as well as five offices. The size of units ranges from 200 sq. ft to 20,000 sq. ft to meet the needs of both new and established businesses; from one-bench labs to small-scale manufacturing and pilot plants.

People working there will have access to the main Wilton Centre building and amenities, including the restaurant, gym & Wellbeing Centre, lecture theatre and events spaces.

“This is great news for Teesside, Wilton Centre and the scientists, researchers and support staff who will hopefully be working here in the not-too-distant future. Wilton Centre is celebrating its 50th birthday this year and while we’re looking back at the great times here, we’re also looking forward to a very exciting future as these plans become reality.”
– Steve Duffield – Site Director, Wilton Centre.

Download the Wilton Centre Freeport Brochure
to find out more about the units available, detailed Freeport Incentives and Tax Relief opportunities

Meeting demand for lab space in the North East

In answer to a study by CPI and Square One Law, and in addition to the Freeport plans, Wilton Centre has made 6,000 sq ft of laboratory space available in the immediate term, along with 2,000 sq ft of office accommodation. The study warned that a lack of laboratory space in the North East “hinders the development and expansion of the region’s science and technology sectors”. The report concluded that addressing this shortage was “crucial for fostering a thriving environment for research and development.”

Companies based at Wilton Centre

Wilton Centre is home to a rich occupancy of companies working in life sciences – predominantly in the growing cluster of bio-manufacturing, bio-pharmaceuticals and the circular economy – including the Centre for Process Innovation (CPI), Fujifilm and the High Value Manufacturing Catapult. Read more about companies that are thriving at the Wilton Centre.

Executive Director of Pioneer Group Toby Reid said, “Companies at Wilton Centre are tackling a range of issues, from difficult-to-recycle materials to removing fossil fuels from manufacturing processes. The new freeport development will allow more companies like these to get started and scale their processes in purpose-built facilities, creating jobs and ultimately positively impacting the health of our planet.”

The new high-quality Freeport facilities at Wilton Centre are expected to attract like-minded companies, both start-ups and established businesses.