Planning permission has been granted for Maidstone Borough Council’s proposed Innovation Centre at Kent Medical Campus, part of the North Kent Enterprise Zone.
Situated beside Junction 7 of the M20, the four storey, 37,000ft2 Innovation Centre – designed by Bond Bryan Architects – will provide flexible office space, facilities and business support for small and medium-sized enterprises working in the life science, healthcare and med-tech sectors.
Construction will commence in autumn 2019 and the Innovation Centre will be ready to welcome its first tenants in summer 2021.
Once completed, the Innovation Centre is expected to support around 270 jobs and will generate a further £120m of additional gross value added to the local economy over the next decade.
William Cornall, Director of Regeneration and Place at Maidstone Borough Council, said: “The Innovation Centre is integral to our growth ambitions, and it builds upon the Government’s support for the North Kent Enterprise Zone which includes the Kent Medical Campus as a key location for employment growth that will deliver 4,000 jobs for Maidstone”.
Tony Collins, Chairman of Kent Medical Campus, added: “Once again Maidstone Borough Council has signalled its belief that the campus is the largest economic driver for the borough and a major centre for science, healthcare and education employment.
“Our existing planning permission for 98,000m2 of commercial space, combined with Enterprise Zone status, the arrival of Cygnet Health Care and work under way on Care UK’s latest care home, means the campus is already delivering on its potential for Maidstone.”