Surgical unveils plans for a major Medi hub

Surgical, which was recently awarded an estimated £7m from the Government’s Regional Growth Fund, said Leeds is the natural location for a new medical manufacturing hub as it is home to around 150 companies in the medical field.

The idea would be to site a large number of medical, science and health technology companies in the new Medi Park in the Aire Valley Leeds enterprise zone.

Surgical’s chairman Doug Liversidge said Surgical has received “excellent backing” from Leeds City Council.

“They have given us every encouragement. They would be committed to a Medi Park,” he said.

Coun Richard Lewis, Leeds City Council’s executive member for city development said: “We have been pleased to work closely with Surgical Innovations on their plans for expansion and relocation. It will be an excellent development for Leeds because it will mean more jobs, more apprenticeships and more training.

“It is exactly the sort of investment we want to attract into the Aire Valley in the future.”

Surgical’s ambitious expansion plans follow the news earlier this month that it was one of 119 successful bidders in the second round of the Government’s £1.4bn Regional Growth Fund.

Mr Liversidge said the grant, which has been estimated at £6m to £7m by company broker Seymour Pierce, will provide the money to design and manufacture new instruments and products for keyhole surgery.

“If we develop these products, we’d need to develop new premises,” he said.

“The natural place to go is to develop a Medi Park in Leeds. We have 150 companies in the medical field in and around Leeds. We would like Surgical to be a cornerstone of the park.

“We believe it would greatly enhance the economic position of Leeds.”

The council said that the health sector is already a major contributor to the city’s economy, but it has potential to make a much larger impact.

It added that the health and medical sector in Leeds will be one of the fastest growing globally and it will be a linchpin of the city’s economy.

There are hopes that the new Medi Park could become a medical version of the highly successful advanced manufacturing park in Rotherham.

Surgical’s successful bid for a Regional Growth Fund grant has provided a huge boost for the company.

The fund is designed to support projects that use private sector investment to create economic growth and sustainable employment.

It aims to help areas and communities currently dependent on the public sector.

Surgical’s grant has been earmarked for job creation, apprenticeships, training, development of medical devices and manufacturing infrastructure.

Graham Bowland, Surgical’s chief executive, said: “This is a significant boost for the group and we are incredibly pleased that our bid has been successful. This funding will allow us to invest heavily in the business and its future growth through product innovation, manufacturing equipment and employment.”

Mr Liversidge said if the group’s growth plans come to fruition it could increase its staff numbers from the current 150 to 250.

The group is keen to expand into the hip market, which is a new area for keyhole surgery.

Mr Liversidge said any move to the proposed Medi Park would realistically happen in three years’ time as the product development cycle takes at least a year for new products to come on stream.

A valley of plenty

The Aire Valley enterprise zone is forecast to generate £550m of additional economic output and will create more than 9,500 new jobs by 2025.

It will be accessible to over 630,000 households in the city region.

Prime minister David Cameron said the site will help entrepreneurs outside of London drive the economy forward.

The zone will offer companies business rate discounts, tax breaks, planning short cuts and access to super-fast broadband.

Aire Valley was chosen as the preferred site by the Leeds City Region’s LEP ahead of Bradford city centre, Selby and the Wakefield M62 corridor.