Work has begun to build a brand new business space in the Solent Enterprise Zone at Daedalus, Fareham.

The £5.3m Innovation Centre will contain office space and workshop facilities for new businesses, with a focus on the engineering, aerospace, aviation and marine industries. The project will create around 150 new jobs.

The development is part of £8.3 investment from Fareham Borough Council at the Enterprise Zone, which includes improvements to the runway and new hangar space. In autumn, Fareham College will open a new Centre for Engineering and Manufacturing Advanced Skills Training (CEMAST) on site.

Executive Leader of Fareham Borough Council, Cllr Seán Woodward, said:

“I’m pleased to see work has started on the Innovation Centre. It will offer top the range support and facilities for new companies in engineering, aerospace, aviation and marine, and will also mean the creation of highly skilled local jobs. It’s another exciting step in the delivery of the Solent Enterprise Zone at Daedalus.”

The Innovation Centre has been supported by a £5.3m investment from the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) which is working with partners to bring thousands of new jobs and investment to the enterprise zone.

Kevin Bourner, HCA head of area, said: “This Innovation Centre is an important aspect of a key economic site for south Hampshire, which is being transformed by the investment committed to the Enterprise Zone. Through these changes, local people are seeing activity and development return to this site. That can only be good news for local businesses and the wider economy.”

Len Salter, Regional Managing Director at Bouygues UK, said: “We are delighted to be awarded this project at the Daedalus Enterprise Zone. We are excited about working with Fareham Borough Council on this project which will benefit small businesses, create local employment and bring an entrepreneurial spirit into the area.”

Work on the Innovation Centre is expected to be finished March 2015.