Works starts on £12m Workington Innovation Centre

With an eye towards opening the advanced manufacturing and digital tech incubator by spring 2026, main contractor Morgan Sindall Construction has started clearing the former Central Car Park site off Roper Street.

The Workington Innovation Centre has a capital cost of £12.4m, according to the council. When it completes, it will be operated by Oxford Innovation Space – a company that will also be able to advise tenants on how to grow their business.

Groundworks are expected to complete early next year for the 19,600 sq ft centre. Designed by Buttress Architects, it will offer up a mixture of meeting rooms, workspaces, conference spaces, and catering facilities across its four floors.

Buttress Architects designed the innovation centre for Workington. Credit: Virtual Planit

As part of its contract, Morgan Sindall has committed to a series of social value iniaitives, including working with the Cumbria Youth Alliance and the council’s employability partnership. The contractor will also improve the Workington stretch of Hadrian’s Cycleway – a 170-mile cycle route that connects at Ravenglass and ends at South Shields.

The Workington Innovation Centre has a capital cost of £12.4m and is funded, in part, by Cumberland Council’s successful £23.1m Town Deal bid. Other Town Deal projects include a clean energy and logistics hub by Oldside and the Cumberland Sports Village.

Morgan Sindall’s North East and Cumbria area director Alex Instead said: “To support the transformation of our economy, we must also support the creation of innovation centre hubs to foster organic economic development.

“These centres create an environment of creativity and stimulate a cooperative dynamic between budding businesses, which we are happy to facilitate through the application of our expertise.”

John Coughlan, chairman for the Workington Town Deal Board, embraced the holiday season in his remarks.

“What a festive gift for the town, with work starting this side of Christmas,” he said.

“This will be transformational for Workington attracting high-quality start-ups, leading to a growth in advanced manufacturing and technology jobs, and increasing footfall and spending power.

“We are now seeing the real value of the work which secured £23.1 million for Workington and the greater region.”

Members of the project team, Morgan Sindall Construction, and Cumberland Council celebrated the start of work on the site of the Workington Innovation Centre. Credit: via Influential

Cumberland Council Leader Cllr Mark Fryer described the Workington Innovation scheme as filling “a gap in the entrepreneurial support and high-quality office accommodation available in and around Workington”.

He continued: “This, combined, with the neighbouring NHS Diagnostic Centre, which is also in the process of being constructed, will transform this area of the town. They will also increase footfall to the town centre, which is great news for the local economy too.”

Planning permission for the innovation centre was granted in August. In addition to Buttress, its project team included Layer.studio, Virtual Planit, SCP, Mott MacDonald, OFR Consultants, and MZA Acoustics.