M-Sport’s state-of-the-art Evaluation Centre is taking shape with the multi-million-pound facility at the firm’s Dovenby Hall Estate near Cockermouth in Cumbria on course for completion next autumn.
Work on the self-contained workshop began in May and construction is now well underway with 550 tonnes of structural steelwork and roofing virtually complete and all external precast concrete walls installed in just over six months.
The project was made possible with investment from the UK Government’s Regional Growth Fund (RGF) as well as Growth Fund investment provided by Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership (CLEP), and will allow M-Sport to develop a one-of-a-kind facility in the UK.
Sitting alongside a 2.5 kilometre test track, the 10,723 m2 workshop will complete the facility – offering a unique centre of engineering excellence and ensuring Cumbria plays its part to boost local economy, skills and innovation within the Northern Powerhouse.
M-Sport Managing Director, Malcolm Wilson OBE, said:
“This project has been 10 years in the making, and it’s fantastic to see it all coming together now. I’m extremely proud of what we have developed alongside Northern Developments, and it’s incredible to see how quickly things are progressing.
“Once complete, we will have a unique facility where industry leaders in motorsport and automotive technology can follow a concept from design to production – offering an exclusive centre of engineering excellence, here in Cumbria.”
Commercial Manager for Northern Developments, Eddie Ward, said:
“As Malcolm notes we have been collaborating with M-sport on this project since 2010. It is a significant and complex Design and Build of which we are very proud; and we’re pleased to finally see it on site and taking shape so quickly.”
