Medical giant Smith & Nephew’s plans for a new £94 million site in East Yorkshire have been submitted.
The company has finally outgrown the site of its historic Hull premises, despite several expansions through the years.
It is now looking to relocate the Advanced Wound Management branch of its global operations to Melton West Business Park, eight miles down the A63 from its gateway location, as revealed in June. Smith & Nephew is working with Hull-headquartered site developer Wykeland Group.
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In the submission to East Riding Council, accompanied by images of the design, the company said it wants to celebrate its Hull history and not just be a "box in a field".
A new three-storey facility with manufacturing, research and development facilities is detailed, replacing the Victorian initiated site developed from the company’s inception in 1856, which now numbers nine buildings and is described as “disjointed and inefficient”.
Smith & Nephew's new site would cover almost 40,000 sq m on a near 10-hectare plot of undeveloped grassland in the northwest section of the business park.
In a statement accompanying the submission, the company said: “The facility is to be a flagship building which, optimising 'lean' manufacturing, celebrates the company's heritage and the world-class work undertaken in this part of the business. The Great Outdoors was one of the key principles from Smith & Nephew and the landscaping scheme has been designed to reflect this by maximising the natural assets on site.
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"Smith & Nephew do not want a box in a field, they want their site to be recognisable and for it to celebrate their history and their prominence in the city. The relocation demonstrates Smith & Nephew is committed to investing and increasing the research and development facilities for the Advanced Wound Management sector in the region.
"The development will enable Smith & Nephew to increase and grow the research and development capabilities of the Advanced Wound Management, which supports highly skilled jobs. The development will also create more efficient and condensed manufacturing areas, whilst the scope of the production elements has changed."
Proposals for the exterior involve either metal blades or mesh, designed to reflect Smith & Nephew's industrial heritage and manufacturing history in Hull.
Production space would cover most of the ground floor, with the rest featuring a foyer, warehousing and research and development laboratories. First and second floors would be made up of offices, laboratories and dining facilities.
A total of 540 parking bays for staff and visitors are proposed, with electric charging and 80 cycling spaces.
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