News: AMP vision to continue

Yorkshire Forward has confirmed that the "Vision" which has made the Advanced Manufacturing Park (AMP) in Rotherham a world class example of collaboration between industry and academia, has been extended with partners UK COAL, for a further three years.

The focus of the AMP will continue to be on the advanced materials and manufacturing technologies industry and will benefit those companies on the park by enabling them to harness manufacturing innovation through collaboration between industry, research, the region's renowned universities and centres of excellence.

The AMP is located on around 100 acres of the former Orgreave colliery site, restored by UK COAL in a £30m surface mining and reclamation scheme.

Harworth Estates joined forces with Yorkshire Forward in 2001 to promote the site, whose tenants now include Boeing, Rolls-Royce, high tech metal specialists TWI and the University of Sheffield.

UK COAL also confirmed that it is preparing to relocate its property arm, Harworth Estates, to the park. Around 20 property professionals and support staff will relocate from Doncaster to the AMP site before the end of the year, occupying offices in the Technology Centre building.

Owen Michaelson, Managing Director of Harworth Estates said: "As joint founders of the AMP concept and promoting its benefits along with partners Yorkshire Forward, we feel our presence there will be an added stimulus to the further growth of the facility as a centre of excellence for high-tech developments, particularly in the field of metals and materials.

"As a sign of our continued commitment, we are also pleased to confirm the vision which controls the type of business activities that are able to locate on the Park will be extended for a further three years from next April. The AMP vision will by then have been in existence for a total of 12 years.

"Our staff are enthusiastic at the prospect of relocating to the AMP, a site we continue to manage and service, and which we and Yorkshire Forward believe can deliver thousands of new jobs in cutting-edge technologies for many years to come.

"The AMP, which forms part of the 700 acre Waverley Regeneration Site, is Harworth Estates' flagship project. We believe we need to be there not just to manage the services we provide, but to support the promotional efforts that will make this a hub for new job opportunities in Yorkshire and The Humber in the years ahead."

Simon Hill, Executive Director of Business for Yorkshire Forward added: "We feel that Harworth Estate's move to the park will provide further business confidence to the site and continue to cement Yorkshire and Humbers position as a centre of excellence for manufacturing to a global marketplace.

"The Vision we have signed today with our partners Harworth Estates, the property arm of UK COAL, ensures that the incredible work being done onsite has a commitment long after our closure, securing and creating jobs now and in the future."

The future of assets owned by Yorkshire Forward such as the AMP Technology Centre and land at the AMP is unclear after the Government announced that Regional Development Agencies would be abolished by 2012.

AMP website
UK Coal website

Images: ampuk.com