Morgan Sindall cracks on at iSH Enterprise Campus
Working for Cumberland Council, the contractor has started on a pair of buildings amounting to 64,000 s ft at Leconfield Industrial Estate in Cleator Moor.
Construction is officially underway on the £23.6m Town Deal-backed project, on which Cumberland Council appointed Morgan Sindall Construction and Infrastructure in July, tasking the firm with the delivery of Unit 9 and Unit 12.
This is part of the wider £50m Cleator Moor Innovation Quarter.
The units are expected to be available from late 2027. Each of the units will be subdivisible, with Unit 9 offering four units of 7,034 sq ft, and Unit 12 five units of 7,068 sq ft, although the option is on the table for single occupancy.
The Industrial Solutions Hub (iSH) Enterprise Campus is an economic regeneration initiative led by Cumberland Council with funding and support from Government through Town Deal and now-rebadged Levelling Up programmes, along with backing from other partners including the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and Sellafield.
The development of the site forms part of the wider regeneration programme being delivered across West Cumbria by iSH focused upon delivering economic growth opportunities around robotics, manufacturing and digital.
Gary McKeating, managing director of iSH, said: “We’ve spent a lot of time talking to businesses, partners and the local community about what we want to achieve here, so seeing people and machinery on site finally makes it very real.
“For me, this is about much more than buildings. It’s about creating a place where the doers, fixers and problem-solvers can come together, share ideas and grow, and where local people can connect to the jobs and opportunities that growth creates.
“This is an exciting moment for Cleator Moor and West Cumbria, and now the hard work really starts – making sure we turn this investment into something that delivers for the area for many years to come.”
Euan Hutton, Sellafield chief executive, said: “We’re proud to support iSH and the development of the iSH Enterprise Campus.
“This is about supporting our mission while creating lasting social and economic impact.
“We’re particularly keen for our supply chain to actively engage. My message to our supply chain is simple: engage with iSH, be part of the campus, and help us build a stronger industrial capability here in west Cumbria.”
The units provide double height flexible workspace and will be tailored to meet the needs of the local and regional business community, the partners said.
Photovoltaic panels, heat pumps ad EV charging will feature in a build project aiming for EPC A rating.
The units were given planning approval in April. To see full documents, the reference in Cumberland Council’s planning portal is 4/25/2411/0F1.
