First tenant sets sights on Dock 2

A COMPANY that is developing new technologies for spacecraft has moved its head office, design team and laboratory into Leicester’s hi-tech workspaces at Dock.

Space technology experts Magna Parva have left their premises at Meridian Business Park and taken six units at Dock, where their 16 staff are now based.

But the company is already planning its next move: as soon as the new Dock 2 is built on a brownfield site next door, Magna Parva will be on the move again.

Andy Bowyer, director of Magna Parva, said: “Moving into Dock is an important stepping stone on our journey, and it’s a great opportunity for us to improve our links with the city’s science and space communities.

“But our ultimate destination is Dock 2.

“We want to be part of the Pioneer Park expansion and we’re extremely excited about working alongside companies that share our core businesses of space, science and technology.

“Dock 2 will provide us with the environment we need to grow –and although it hasn’t been built yet, we know it’s the right base for our business.”

City mayor Peter Soulsby said: “Attracting Magna Parva to Dock 2 before the foundations have even been dug is a welcome endorsement of our plans for Pioneer Park.

“We want to establish the park as a hub for technology and knowledge-based industries – and the success of Dock, and the interest we’ve already had in Dock 2, show that there is real demand for the quality workspace we’re providing, as well as for a specialist innovation park where hi-tech businesses will be able to flourish.”

Work on Dock 2 – which will provide grow-on workspace for hi-tech businesses at Pioneer Park – is set to get under way at the end of this year, following the appointment of a design team and the approval of a £150,000 budget to take the project forward.

It will be built on a brownfield site that is currently owned by the Homes and Communities Agency. The city council hopes to complete the purchase of the land in the spring.

The site is next to the original Dock, which has been providing a base for technology businesses since 2013. More than 40 hi-tech small businesses are currently based there.

Dock 2 could be open by early 2018.

Pioneer Park is already home to the landmark National Space Centre and Leicester’s museum of technology at the Abbey Pumping Station. The University of Leicester has also announced plans for a National Space Park in the area.