SportPark on Science and Enterprise Park to receive £6 million Government expansion fund

Plans to develop a Global Sports Hub centred at º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ received a boost with the announcement today that SportPark on º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ Science and Enterprise Park (LUSEP) will undergo a £6m expansion.

The project will create a fourth pavilion of 2,000 sqm floorspace to the five-storey building which houses the UK’s highest concentration of sports governing bodies and national sports organisations.  SportPark’s expansion will directly support 165 jobs with an additional 157 induced jobs in the wider economy, stimulating further demand to bring sports related businesses to the region.

It is one of four key infrastructure projects which the Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership (LLEP) will deliver as part of the Getting Building Fund. Projects were chosen based on their impact on the region’s economic growth, both in the short and long-term, and their strategic fit to current economic priorities. Two further infrastructure projects will be delivered in the City of Leicester. The government requested “shovel-ready” schemes that can start immediately so the aim is to get projects off the ground as quickly as possible.

Professor Tracy Bhamra, º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ Pro-Vice Chancellor for Enterprise said: “SportPark already has the critical mass of the sports sector’s governing bodies and national organisations so its expansion is a natural step to create a vibrant focal point for the Global Sports Hub. A growing number of sports innovation businesses have launched at or relocated to LUSEP, attracted to the collaborative environment and access the University’s world-leading expertise in sports science, engineering, health and well-being and high performance athlete base.”

The LLEP will also allocate a further £1.8m to the Junction 23 M1 A512 access improvement scheme as part of the Getting Building Fund.

Professor Bhamra added: “LUSEP is already one of the most accessible science parks in the UK, located one mile from Junction 23 of the M1. The road improvements will create a further access point, even closer to the M1. This is particularly welcome news as LUSEP’s expansion continues, as part of the º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ and Leicester Science and Innovation Enterprise Zone.”

Kevin Harris, Chair of the LLEP Board of Directors, said: “We are delighted to receive this investment for Leicester and Leicestershire. The LLEP Board had to make some difficult decisions very quickly as we had originally submitted projects totalling £90 million to government for consideration and was subsequently allocated £20 million to share between local projects.

“These projects will start to transform the future infrastructure of our city and county very quickly. Our over-arching aims will be to help get business moving again, to kick start our economy and to increase prosperity for all who live and work in Leicester and Leicestershire.”

Visit the LUSEP website.

Notes for editors

Press release reference number: PR 20/141

º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ

º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ is one of the country’s leading universities, with an international reputation for research that matters, excellence in teaching, strong links with industry, and unrivalled achievement in sport and its underpinning academic disciplines.

It has been awarded five stars in the independent QS Stars university rating scheme, named the best university in the world for sports-related subjects in the 2020 QS World University Rankings and University of the Year by The Times and Sunday Times University Guide 2019.

º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ is in the top 10 of every national league table, being ranked 4th in the Guardian University League Table 2020, 5th in the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2020 and 6th in The UK Complete University Guide 2021.

º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ is consistently ranked in the top twenty of UK universities in the Times Higher Education’s ‘table of tables’ and is in the top 10 in England for research intensity. In recognition of its contribution to the sector, º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ has been awarded seven Queen's Anniversary Prizes.

The º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ London campus is based on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and offers postgraduate and executive-level education, as well as research and enterprise opportunities. It is home to influential thought leaders, pioneering researchers and creative innovators who provide students with the highest quality of teaching and the very latest in modern thinking.

º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ Science and Enterprise Park

www.lusep.co.uk

One of the Europe’s largest combined university and science parks, LUSEP is an 84 hectare site and home to an established community of 90 knowledge-based organisations including start-ups, tech unicorns and global brands which thrive alongside º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ’s flagship research centres in an environment that encourages collaboration. It comprises 60% of the º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ and Leicester Science and Innovation Enterprise Zone. Access to the University’s research base and graduate supply and preferential rates for the extensive services and amenities on the University’s 438 acre single-site campus are a distinctive proposition for knowledge based-businesses at all stages of development.

 

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