Government praise for Heath Business Park

Science and Innovation Minister Ian Pearson has applauded The Heath Business and Technical Park, Progressive Solutions’ home in the UK. He praised the Runcorn park as a model for similar ventures across the UK - The Heath hosts some 185 organisations on a managed site and is home to our UK head office, housing the R&D, Implementation, Sales and Support teams.

During a visit to the award-winning business park, the Minister praised The Heath’s success in creating a cluster of excellence and said that the location’s achievements deserved to be brought to the attention of a wider audience.

He said: “As a government we are committed to world-class science and innovation and examples like this are exactly the sort of thing we need to be encouraging right up and down the UK.”

Mr Pearson’s tour of The Heath marked the latest of many high-profile visits to the business park, which has previously welcomed guests that include Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and Lord Heseltine, as well as former Science and Innovation Minister Lord Sainsbury.

Mr Pearson said: “I have been extremely impressed by the diversity of businesses here at The Heath but also The Heath is a concept of how you can cluster together scientific excellence and you are getting businesses interacting with each other.

“It’s really a story that needs a wider audience and a good example of how you’ve got a really successful technology-based business park that could be a model for others up and down the country.”

Speaking during the Minister’s visit Dr Peter Cook, MD for the Heath’s owners, said: “The Heath’s success has transformed an ailing, single-occupancy site into a thriving home for 185 resident companies employing 2,000 people. It has been built around safeguarding the future of skilled personnel and adapting them commercially so their skills can be marketed on a national and international basis. The Heath’s transformation makes it a unique model that can be replicated across the UK.”

Dr Cook added: “Science and technology is vital to the future prosperity of the UK economy and it is essential that we protect this unique skill base.”

As well as outlining its plans to export its expertise to other science and business parks, management has recently set out proposals for a major expansion of The Heath itself. These plans would see the creation of 200,000 square feet of additional office and laboratory space and could enable the current workforce of 2,000 to rise to 3,000 within three years.

The Heath’s website.