Full speed ahead for £18m Skills and Innovation Centre

The three-storey, state-of-the-art centre will sit at the heart of Gateway 14 – the business, innovation and logistics park that forms part of Freeport East, adjacent to Junction 50 of the A14.
 
Planning permission has just been granted, meaning work can now begin on the delivery stage of the 35,000 sq ft building, which will include office space for high growth start-ups, collaboration and innovation spaces, training and meeting rooms, and a café.
 
Designed following positive discussions with businesses and local skills providers, the centre aims to address skills gaps locally and within the Freeport area and seize opportunities around growing sectors such as the green economy and digital/AI technology.
 
Also included in the plans are a range of business support services which would see the facility become a hub for entrepreneurship, collaboration, green skills and innovation between occupiers in the building and across the wider Gateway 14 site and surrounding Freeport area.
 
Freeport East agreed £16.66m funding for the centre earlier this year, with Mid Suffolk District Council meeting the remaining cost.
 
Property developer Jaynic is delivering the project as the development partner of Gateway 14 Ltd – a wholly owned subsidiary of Mid Suffolk District Council. 

The centre will be built to meet a minimum BREAAM standard of ‘excellent’ ensuring it is highly sustainable and environmentally friendly. 
 
Cllr Richard Winch, cabinet member for housing and property at Mid Suffolk District Council, said: “This is such a significant moment for what is an incredibly exciting project and one which will not only be greatly beneficial for Stowmarket, but the much wider area too. 
 
“The Skills and Innovation Centre is set to be a hub for talented local businesses with a particular focus on the green economy, digital and AI technology while not only helping to bridge the skills gap, but allowing firms to grow, innovate and encourage more inward investment.
 
“We have ticked the boxes and jumped the hurdles, now is the time to for us to deliver on our promises and bring these plans to life.”
 
Steve Beel, Chief Executive for Freeport East, said: "This is great news for Gateway 14 and Freeport East, and an important next step in growing and diversifying the economy of Stowmarket and the wider Mid-Suffolk area. 
 
“Sustainability and enterprise are at the heart of this new centre and will help to attract a range of new businesses to the area, from local start-ups and SMEs to international brands. 
 
“Positioned between the UK’s largest trading gateway at Felixstowe and the world-class knowledge assets of Cambridge and the wider East of England, it offers an unrivalled location and positions our region as a top choice for ambitious businesses in the high-growth green economy.”
 
Sir Christopher Haworth, chairman of Gateway 14 Ltd, said: “We can now look forward to the centre providing a critical link between education and industry – serving young people looking to start their careers and also business seeking capable graduates and young people – as well as it providing a valuable base for fledgling businesses.”
 
Ben Oughton, Jaynic’s development director, said: “The skills and innovation centre at Gateway 14, ensures that the site is becoming a truly mixed-use scheme attracting a variety of users that will benefit the regional economy in this part of East Anglia.”  
 
Mid Suffolk District Council is also now seeking a highly experienced provider to provide centre management and business/innovation support to SMEs.
 
An invitation to tender is now open with potential operators having until Monday 30 December to express their interest.  
 
Subject to a final building opening date, the operator contract would commence in April 2026 for three years with an option to extend. 
 
This week’s news is the latest in a series of recent developments at Gateway 14.  This year planning permission has been granted for two buildings to be occupied by manufacturers of sustainable and eco-friendly construction materials. 
 
Construction has already started on one of these buildings, a 44,000 sq ft manufacturing facility for Bauder – a leading international manufacturer of flat roof building construction materials including solutions for green roofs and solar PV arrays. 
 
Earlier this year, Mid Suffolk District Council’s planning committee gave reserved matters planning consent for a 164,796 sq ft manufacturing and distribution unit at the entrance to the park. 
 
While Gateway 14’s first unit to have been completed – a 1.17million sq ft logistics and distribution centre for The Range – is now operational, and recruiting people to fill 1,650 jobs created on site.