Marine Renewable Business Park opens its doors

 
The construction of the Marine Renewable Business Park (MRBP) in Hayle, Cornwall, has been completed.

The new business park is designed to accommodate companies in the growing marine energy sector and is built on the site of a former coal-fired power station at North Quay in Hayle, now owned by Cornwall Council.

The Park has been created to strengthen Cornwall’s growing marine renewables sector, and is ready for the first tenants.

MRBP will offer 2,500 sq metres of managed workspace including a two storey modern office building comprising seven offices.

Hayle is already home to Wave Hub Ltd, which operates the marine energy test site 16 km off the North Cornwall coast.

John Pollard, Councillor for Hayle North and Leader of Cornwall Council, said: “This new business park will cement Cornwall’s position at the forefront of the development of marine energy, and as the local councillor I am proud to see Hayle – which is already home to Wave Hub – playing such an important part in this fast-growing industry.”

MRBP and Wave Hub are vital elements of the Offshore Renewables Development Programme, a wider programme of work that aims to enable and accelerate the commercial realisation of offshore renewable energy within Cornwall, the Isles of Scilly and Plymouth from initial concept, through development and testing to launching the product in the marketplace, according to Wave Hub.

Stuart Farmer, Offshore Renewables Development Programme Manager at Cornwall Council, said: “Delivery of the business park underlines the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly LEP and Cornwall Council’s commitment to the establishment of robust long term foundations that are designed to support the Marine Renewables sector and its vibrant supply chain achieve the next steps towards future commercialisation.”

The project has been led by Cornwall Council with the support of Cornwall Development Company, which secured European Convergence funding to deliver the first phase of the Marine Business Park, with match funding provided by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) and the Council.

The project forms part of a comprehensive regeneration of Hayle which has planning permission for over 800 homes and included the ERDF funded works on North Quay which delivered a new road bridge, construction of a new road, flood protection works and repair of the harbour walls which were necessary to improve the harbour and provide access prior to construction of MRBP.

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