DETAILED plans have been submitted for a £20m expansion of Sci-Tech Daresbury which could create up to 300 jobs.

The second phase of the science and technology campus’s project Violet, the proposals include two three-storey buildings which would provide a mix of office and lab space aimed at the healthcare, engineering, science, digital and sustainability sectors.

Outline planning permission was granted at the end of 2021, but now a detailed submission has been put forward to Halton Council’s planning department shedding further light on the proposed design and scale of the buildings. They would have an overall footprint of 80,000 sq ft, and solar tech and air source heat pumps would help contribute toward sustainability targets.

If permission is granted. building work could get underway early next year, with a completion date pencilled in for mid-2025.

Violet is central to Sci-Tech Daresbury’s strategy of expanding the range of facilities to provide a ‘home for life’ for companies and will help joint venture partners Langtree, Halton Borough Council, and the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) deliver job creation and investment goals.

The £17,8m first phase was finished last February and consisted of three buildings. It has already been hailed a success by project chiefs and is 83 per cent occupied.

John Downes, Chief Executive Officer of Langtree and Chairman of Sci-Tech Daresbury, said: “Our campus is designed to be a ‘home for life’ and we need to provide larger laboratory and office facilities to ensure there is grow-on space for the businesses already within our community.”

The new application includes a comprehensive landscape strategy which will co-ordinate how the new development will connect pedestrian movements to the wider campus through both enhanced walkways and accessible lift provisions.

He added: “The continuing expansion of Sci-Tech Daresbury is key to ensuring that companies can start and scale in the North without the need to relocate elsewhere, which would create significant disruption for them and bring the risk of losing key staff.”

No date has yet been set for a decision.