Plans have been submitted for another 2.3m sq ft of hi-tech manufacturing space at the MIRA Technology Park which could one day support an estimated 2,500 jobs.
Developers want to add a major extension to the tech park which is already home to research teams from 40 companies – employing 1,000 skilled engineers – including Aston Martin, Bentley, Bosch, Continental tyres and Jaguar Land Rover.
The existing tech park is connected to the vast Horiba MIRA proving ground, just off the A5 on the Leicestershire/Warwickshire border, which is a global known test centre for new vehicle technology and engineering. It recently added a big test track for driverless vehicles.
The plans, put forward by private equity real estate business Evans Randall Investors, would see 150 acres of land developed on fields to the south of the existing facility.
Technology park managing director Tim Nathan said: “The proposals set out an exciting vision for the expansion of the park, which builds on recent momentum.
“The past year has seen investment in renewable energy generation including a hydrogen electrolyser that will deliver green hydrogen for R&D use and the low carbon innovation hub.
“This planning application will further solidify the park’s position at the forefront of UK R&D.”
Evans Randall Investors signed a deal with Horiba MIRA last year to become exclusive developer of the technology park and oversee the next phase of its development on the other side of the A5, called the Southern Manufacturing Sector.
The extension would link to the existing site – already part of Europe’s biggest automotive and mobility R&D cluster – taking the total size of the development to 3.5 million sq ft.
Pending planning it would offer advanced manufacturing and low carbon-related facilities, and be able to accommodate large-scale facilities up to 700,000 sq ft.
MIRA, which was built on a World War II airstrip, was one of the first pioneering R&D developments of the post-war era.
Evans Randall Investors managing director James Edwards said: “The proposed expansion of MIRA Technology Park, which will allow large-scale manufacturing facilities to be developed alongside the existing, globally unique combination of R&D facilities, engineering services and test assets, represents a major step forward in the evolution of this asset and will bring further inward investment to the Midlands region.
“The park has a rich history of innovation and is now pioneering the next generation of automotive R&D, pushing forward the technologies that will transform global mobility in the zero-carbon era.
“This masterplan will consolidate MIRA Technology Park’s status as a globally significant cluster, attracting world-leading companies, as well as developing and retaining local talent in the Midlands.”
