Ni.PARK lands Midlands project of the year award

Newport Innovation Park has won a prestigious award in recognition of the high-quality work to ensure the ambitious project has been delivered on time and to budget during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Ni.PARK landed the ‘Project of the Year’ title in the over £3 million category at the 2021 Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA) Midlands awards in a development delivered by engineering and construction contractor Balfour Beatty.

The project is a key element in the Newport Innovation and Enterprise Package, backed jointly by the Marches Local Enterprise Partnership and Telford & Wrekin Council.

Telford & Wrekin Council sees the project as part of its commitment to attract inward investment to the borough, delivered through its Growth Fund, which looks to ensure the right properties are delivered in the right location.

Ni.PARK comprises of approximately 25 acres of allocated employment land and Phase One of the project delivers a range of smaller employment units.

The site is particularly suitable for businesses linked to agri-tech or innovation and being delivered in association with Harper Adams University.

CECA Midlands Awards is the region’s networking event of the year for civil engineering contractors and showcases the best contractors and construction projects in the region.

Councillor David Wright, Telford & Wrekin Council’s Cabinet Member for Economy, Housing, Transport & Infrastructure, said:

This has been an excellent project which has been rapidly taking shape throughout the pandemic and has been delivered without a single day’s shut down on site which is a huge achievement.

The fact that the development has won this regional award speaks volumes for the success of the project and everyone involved should be congratulated for bringing it to fruition.

We are very excited about Ni.PARK which will have a significant, positive impact on local people and the local economy.

Innovative projects like this are instrumental in attracting new investment to the borough.

Ni.PARK has been supported by £7.36 million of funding from the Marches Local Enterprise Partnership under the Local Growth Fund and a further £1 million from Homes England as part of the wider Newport Innovation and Enterprise package.

Mandy Thorn MBE, chair of the Marches LEP, said she was delighted with the quality of the Ni.PARK concept and that it had been recognised with the award, saying:

The intention of all the partners involved in bringing Ni.PARK to fruition is that it should be the highest-quality site of its kind in the country and be a magnet that attracts investment and innovation into our region.

This award clearly recognises that the high standards we have set for Ni.PARK are being met and we can look forward to a long and successful future for the site.

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