Step forward for £30m facility aiming to give firms competitive edge
A NEW £30m Nottinghamshire facility aiming to give the region’s firms a competitive edge has taken a key step forward.
Ashfield District Council has submitted plans for a new multimillion pound facility off Low Moor Road in Kirkby-in-ashfield, which it hopes will boost the potential of businesses across the East Midlands and the rest of the United Kingdom through high-tech automation.
The authority’s Automated Distribution and Manufacturing Centre (ADMC) would make Nottinghamshire and the wider region competitive in the fields of automated distribution and manufacturing, according to councillors. The purpose-built facility will research and develop new products, test cutting edge processes, and educate businesses and workers on how to use them.
These new automated methods will help both large and smaller companies face current and future challenges like low productivity, according to Councillor Matthew Relf, who is executive lead member for growth, regeneration and local planning at Ashfield District Council.
“Automation is frequently seen as a job killer, but it is about making the mundane easier so that people can do more valuable work,” he said. “People who use a dishwasher or even an Excel spreadsheet already make use of automation, but we’re trying to get more businesses to take advantage of the boost this can give them. We want to show that it’s not just for big companies but for smaller, local ones too, so they’ll be able to come see how these things work and how they help.”
Researchers, engineers and technical specialists, either employed by the council or its partners like West Notts College and Nottingham Trent University (NTU), would work in the facility.
Mr Relf, who is chair of the automation project group, added: “Working with West Notts College and NTU we want to remove barriers that are preventing companies from adopting the methods of the future. I think the centre will have a regional, or even national, impact in the way it increases productivity and competitiveness.”
The ADMC scheme, if approved by council planning officials, would be the first part of a more than £100m innovation and technology parkin Ashfield. Architects Maber, working on behalf of Ashfield District Council, said the project would be a “showcase facility to complement a future broader high-tech, innovative industrial park”.
The scheme is intended to be a “welcoming hub for employees, students, and visitors”, Maber said, serving as a space for showcasing equipment and conducting research. The structure’s flexible spaces would allow for a diverse range of activities and functions to ensure the building could adapt to any future requirements, the planners added.
Ashfield District Council previously purchased the land for the project from Nottinghamshire County Council. It is being financed through the government’s Towns Fund programme.