Wilton Centre will propel forward after £2m refurbishment

September 17th 2021

The completion of a £2m refurbishment programme at the Wilton Centre will “propel it forward”.

The six-month project has seen the creation of a new entrance and reception, a new restaurant and café.

They all feature co-working and meeting spaces to meet both collaborative and new working requirements and in reception there are four eye-catching wooden meeting pods.

“I don’t think anybody’s seen anything like them before,” said the centre’s accommodation manager Claire Morton. “They look amazing, are sound-proof and ideal for a business one-to-one.”

The restaurant has also become a place to meet, work and relax as well as eat and drink. Flexibility has also been built into the design, with the large space able to accommodate big events.

“There really is a wow factor,” said Claire. “The minute you arrive at reception or enter the restaurant you feel like you’re at the city headquarters of a blue-chip company.”

Site director Steve Duffield said: “It’s been well received by the occupiers who are going to use it and I think it will also attract more businesses. I’m really pleased with what we’ve achieved. With everything else happening in Teesside, I’m sure this will really propel us forward.”

As well as the range of new facilities, the Wilton Centre is under new ownership following the £120m merger between the centre’s former owner Trinity IM and BioCity Group.

Their new company - We Are Pioneer Group (WAPG) – has become the UK’s largest network of science and tech-focused businesses across nine science parks which are home to 600 businesses and cover an area of 2.6m sq ft.

At an event to mark the completion of the refurbishment WAPG’s Executive Director Toby Reid said that the Wilton Centre was ideally positioned to benefit from the “turning on of the tap of investment” in the Tees Valley which was seeing the creation of the Freeport and the re-location of Government jobs.

That, as well as the existence of legacy talent, represented “a superb, promising mixture and I hope that a lot of that bright future will happen here at the Wilton Centre.”

He added: “The focus for the science industry has been London-centric for far too long. Innovation happens around the UK.

“Through an integrated approach of investment, venture development and real-estate, WAPG creates an ecosystem in which pioneering businesses can scale and grow. From the Wilton Centre, we will build meaningful links to the academics, governments, councils, researchers, and pharmaceutical firms that are critical for success.”

Rob Lynas, whose business Lynas Engineers has grown since it moved to the Wilton Centre five years ago, said: “It’s always nice to be able to show anyone – a client or potential employee – the kind of quality space we’ve got available to us.”

Sarah Tayor of TechConsult UK Ltd said the restaurant had been transformed. “There’s a lot more space where you can get together and sit with people. You can do that on a private basis in one of the booths or in one of the more open spaces. It will suit everybody.”

More information about the Wilton Centre contact Claire via claire.morton@wiltoncentre.co.uk