Plans to create 2,000 jobs take step forward as Daedalus site in Lee-on-the-Solent attracts interested companies

Daedalus Enterprise Zone, in Lee-on-the-Solent, was set up in 2012 with the promise of 3,500 jobs.

Now eight years on, Homes England is attracting firms to redevelop 45 acres of land branded as the Daedalus Waterfront in a mixed-use scheme.

The Daedalus site already has Solent Airport, Fareham College’s Centre of Excellence in Engineering, Manufacturing and Advanced Skills Training, the Fareham Innovation Centre, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, business parks and 320 new-build homes.

Some homes could be built in the latest development, but must be limited and can only be included, for example, to ‘support redevelopment of listed buildings and heritage assets,’ a brochure advertising for expressions of interest said.

Gosport Borough Council leader Mark Hook said there had been 15 expressions of interest so far, with potential for a hotel, factory, ‘super-surgery’, office blocks and more.

He said: ‘We’ve got a masterplan for this - it should create a further 2,000 jobs.’

Cllr Hook said Homes England and others would be ‘sifting through those (expressions of interest) to see who offers the best opportunity’.

He added: ‘It’s a completely mixed-use site. It will be industrial, there’s potential factory jobs, there will be office business, we’re looking at a super-surgery.

‘There will be a small element of housing, a tiny element of that. There’s potential for a hotel. Quite a few people are interested.’

Businesses were attracted to the enterprise zone as they did not have to pay business rates.

Anne-Marie Mountifield, chief executive of the Solent Local Enterprise Partnership, last October told The News 700 jobs had been created, with them on track for 3,000 by 2025. This was before Covid-19.

The brochure from marketer Avison Young said: ‘Homes England is seeking expressions of interest from experienced investors, developers or owner occupiers for the site either as a whole or in parts.

‘Daedalus Waterfront is an important redevelopment opportunity within the Solent Enterprise Zone, in a prominent position overlooking the Solent and the Isle of Wight.

‘The site includes attractive former naval buildings suitable for refurbishment/conversion.

‘Significant public investment has been made into Daedalus, including new infrastructure, to support and service its redevelopment.

‘Whether developed in whole or parts, the development of the site provides a unique opportunity to create a sense of place benefitting from the heritage of the site and integrating with the wider community of Lee-on-the-Solent.’

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It added: ‘Homes England is seeking interest from parties with a clear vision to transform some or all of Daedalus Waterfront into a thriving and successful waterfront mixed-use development including exciting opportunities for commercial, leisure, elderly living, retail, industrial and enabling residential use.’

A Homes England spokesman said: ‘We are currently going through a marketing process for Daedalus Waterfront which includes expressions of interest so it is too early to say what developers are proposing for the site and we are working with Gosport Borough Council.’

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