Waveney Campus partners welcome Cefas plans
Philip Watkins, CEO of 1st East, Urban Regeneration Company
“This is great news for Cefas and Lowestoft. It is about retaining jobs and creating new, high-quality jobs. This is exactly the type of development that 1st East is promoting.”
Councillor Eddy Alcock, Suffolk County Council
"We are delighted to hear this news. It's a real boost to the economy for Lowestoft and the whole of the Waveney area, as Cefas provides the high-quality jobs that we want here, and adds value to the local community. The official announcement that Cefas will be part of the Waveney Campus is very welcome, and shows how we can work with partners to provide a better way for Suffolk."
Mark Bee, Waveney District Council Leader
“The full commitment of all partners is crucial to the project’s success and I am absolutely delighted that Cefas have now been given the green light to go ahead.
"We are making excellent progress, having passed through a very rigorous Government appraisal process and today’s news marks another major milestone for the project.
“Waveney Campus is set to be a major catalyst for inward investment and for the regeneration of the area. It is a flagship project for 1st East waterfront regeneration company and for us. The Campus will provide the opportunity to improve public Council service access in Lowestoft town centre and all the market towns of Waveney.
“It is abundantly clear that the Campus will be a huge force for good in Lowestoft and Waveney as a whole.”
Marine scientists head for state-of-the-art home in Suffolk
Defra’s Minister for science, Lord Rooker, has announced today, 20 June 2006, that a new state-of-the-art marine science complex is to be built at Lowestoft, Suffolk, to house the Centre for Environment, Fisheries & Aquaculture Science (Cefas).
The aim is to replace existing sites at Lowestoft and Burnham-on-Crouch, Essex – which are not suitable for future needs – with a cutting-edge new laboratory campus. The relocation is due for completion in 2009.
Cefas’ Weymouth laboratory will remain open and staff there will not relocate to the new development.
The new Lowestoft complex will be a joint development between Cefas, Waveney District Council and Suffolk County Council who have complimentary needs to modernise their outdated accommodation.
Lord Rooker said: “We want a cutting-edge new laboratory campus which will enable Cefas to stay at the forefront of marine research. As part of Defra’s laboratory strategy, this will also help to secure a sustainable future for Cefas, which remains one of our key public-sector partners.
“At the same time this development will help breathe new life into an urban area, which will benefit from regeneration.”
Cefas Chief Executive, Mark Farrar, said: “I very much welcome this exciting and innovative development in conjunction with our local authority partners. The project will have major benefits for all of the partners and their customers, as well as providing a pathfinder example of regeneration in action in Lowestoft. The new laboratory will bring about 80 new high-quality scientific jobs into the town.
“For Cefas, the new complex will provide cutting-edge scientific facilities at better value for the taxpayer. Staff will also benefit from greater opportunities for scientific and commercial collaboration, and better career opportunities.
“The new building will be built to a high environmental specification and will be designed to enable all of the partners to radically improve the efficiency of their operations in a way that is not possible in their existing accommodation.
“Our customers will benefit from better value,a critical mass of scientific expertise and a significant boost in our scientific capability. Government will benefit from secure access to high-quality scientific services that support government environmental policy development and decision-making.”
Staff and trade unions in the agency, and in Defra, will be consulted and kept informed as the programme progresses. Staff affected by these plans will be given full support throughout the transformation process.
Mark Farrar has written to stakeholders and business partners about the planned transformation programme.
Lord Rooker’s full Ministerial statement is on the Defra website: www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/ministers/statements/jr060620.htm
Defra’s press release, announcing its decision, is available at: www.defra.gov.uk/news/2006/060620a.htm
