GD25 – Exeter Science Park Environmental Futures Campus

The project is proposing to use £2.5m of Growth Deal grant to fund site infrastructure on Phase 2 of Exeter Science Park. This will be in preparation for a Global Environmental Futures Campus site (“the Site”) and facilitate the adjoining Met Office new £100m supercomputer facility which will be the campus’s anchor occupier.

The Global Environmental Futures Campus (GEFC) will occupy a prominent site overlooking the M5 next to the Redhayes Bridge on the outskirts of Exeter. The Met Office is acquiring 2 acres of the Site for the supercomputer building and the remaining campus will be formed by development on the 2 adjacent masterplan clusters, Ridgetop and Redhayes. The £2.5m Growth Deal grant will fund a series of infrastructure packages which will service the campus.

The plot immediately adjacent to the Met Office on the Ridgetop cluster is being reserved for a Collaboration Centre which is being promoted by the University of Exeter and the Met Office and is part of the second round of Growth Deal funding. The balance of the land will become development plots for businesses and research organisations who wish to be part of the GEFC. The project includes 9 site infrastructure packages:

  1. Estate Road Phase 2 works to Ridgetop cluster
  2. Plot preparation to Ridgetop cluster
  3. Redhayes cluster car park
  4. Tithebarn cluster car park
  5. Upgrade to Phase 2 drainage basins
  6. Anning Drive upgrades
  7. Footpath / cycleway to Ridgetop cluster
  8. Northern Foul Pumping Station
  9. Phase 1 Visitor’s Car Park

Growth Deal Funding: £2.499m

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    David Ralph

    Chief Executive

    David Ralph started as Chief Executive of Heart of South West LEP at the beginning of June 2018. Previously, he had spent 5 years as CEO of the Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire (D2N2) LEP from 2013 where he oversaw the development of the D2N2 Strategic Economic Plan and sector strategies, 3 Growth Deals with HM Government to deliver a £1billion capital investment programme, securing and implementing £200m ESIF programme, the Derby and Nottingham Enterprise Zone, the D2N2 Skills Deal and Time for Innovation programme, community fund and led the executive team to develop the HS2 East Midlands hub. He was also closely involved in the proposed North Midlands Devolution Deal and one of the key architects in establishing the Midlands Engine, chairing the officer steering group. Whilst in this role David was a NED of the Nottingham Enterprise Zone, and Marketing NG, the Outer Estates Foundation and a Governor of Nottingham College and on the advisory Board of Nottingham Business School.

    Before the East Midlands, David was CEO of the Have Gateway Partnership working closely with local stakeholders including the ports of Felixstowe, Harwich and Ipswich and BT Adadastral Park across Suffolk and Essex and prior to that was Chief Exec of the Barton Hill New Deal for Communities programme in Bristol and the Nelm Development Trust in Norwich.

    David is a keen sailor, walker and trail runner.