Daresbury advances as Halton dents Anwyl’s Widnes hopes 

The council has approved plans for Ultraviolet, a 180,000 sq ft labs and offices complex, while opposing Anwyl’s 233-home redevelopment of Widnes Golf Club ahead of the developer’s appeal. 

Ultraviolet 

The scheme would be built on the plot of land to the left of the image. Credit: via planning documents

Ultraviolet is the latest phase of Sci-Tech Daresbury, being delivered by a partnership between Langtree, the Science & Technology Facilities Council and Halton Council.  

The scheme is to be built on a 6.4-acre site at the junction of the A56 Chester Road and A588 Daresbury Expressway. 

Ultraviolet, designed by Seven Architecture, will comprise five buildings. 

The nearest neighbouring buildings are Project Violet, the £17.8m project due for completion soon, and Techspace One and Two. 

Spawforths is the planning consultant, 4ward is the project manager and Planit-IE is advising on landscape strategy. 

Arup is the structural engineer and Curtins is the transport consultant. 

John Downes, chief executive of Langtree and chairman of Sci-Tech Daresbury said: “The delivery of a further 180,000 sq ft of high-quality office and laboratory accommodation speaks volumes for our commitment to Sci-Tech Daresbury and our dedication to supporting innovative science and technology firms.

“The progression of Ultraviolet is a key element of how our campus will support the government’s vision of the UK cementing its position as a science and technology superpower, and we can’t wait for the project to get started next year.”

Super computer 

The proposed centre as viewed from the towpath to the north-west. Credit: via planning documents

Halton approved the plans for Ultraviolet alongside those for another Daresbury project, a 33,000 sq ft super-computing centre. 

Science & Technology Facilities Council appointed architect Stride Treglown to draw up plans for the facility, to be built on a site next to the Bridgewater Canal and the Daresbury Firs. 

Arup, project manager Arcadis, quantity surveyor Rider Levett Bucknall, ecologist Tyler Grange and acoustics advisor Hoare Lea make up the professional team. 

Stride Treglown’s DAS said the scheme “would enable STFC to remain at the forefront of large-scale computing in the UK and would provide the computational infrastructure necessary to support the UK into the middle of the century”. 

Anwyl blow 

With membership declining, the golf club wants to go from 18 holes to nine. Credit: via planning documents

Anwyl Homes Lancashire and partner Widnes Golf Club want to build 233 homes and reduce the size of the course. Halton has already turned down the scheme once, following receipt of 400 objections. 

Anwyl has appealed against Halton’s non-determination of a revised application it lodged after the refusal of the first iteration of the 62-acre scheme. 

As Halton had not yet ruled on the second application, which saw the number of homes reduced from 249 to 233, it was required to do so yesterday to demonstrate to the planning inspectorate its stance on the plans. 

The council’s planning committee ruled that it would have refused the revised proposals, too. 

The inquiry has been set for 28 February 2022. 

Barton Willmore is the planning advisor to the partnership. Eddisons, Ironside Farrar, Weetwood, Redmore Environmental and TPM Landscape are also on the professional team.