A NEW £7m innovation centre has been completed.

Key handover ceremony was held at Fareham Innovation Centre extension at Daedalus, to mark completion of its extension. The extension will provide 3,400 square metres of new floor space, 33 new offices, five new workshops and spacious new conference facilities.

Leader of Fareham Borough Council, Cllr Seán Woodward, received a ceremonial key from contractor Morgan Sindall.

The council says the new extension will add to the top of the range facilities and support already provided at the centre for new businesses, especially those in the engineering, aerospace, aviation and marine industries.

Cllr Woodward, said: "It's great to reach this milestone in the extension to the Innovation Centre, a project which has been brought in on time and under budget. With this extension, we have added to the excellent facilities already on offer and when it's open for business we anticipate around 300 highly skilled new job opportunities will be created."

Andy Duff, managing director of Morgan Sindall’s South region, said: “The Innovation Centre plays a valuable role in life of the region’s vibrant, innovation-focused economy. We’re pleased to have successfully delivered this element of the expansion, which will significantly enhance the facilities available, ahead of programme.”

The Innovation Centre extension will be available for businesses in April and officially launched in the summer.

The project has been developed and funded by the borough council, and supported by £2m funding from Solent Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP).