The Vision
Explore Park is the heart of the second Industrial Revolution, in the home of the first.
At the nexus of multiple transportation and distribution networks and talent catchment areas, Explore Park, is creating an advanced manufacturing and innovation hub in the East Midlands Industrial Zone (EMIZ) where the imagination and creativity of the most advanced academic research laboratories meets the production talents and technologies of some of the finest advanced manufacturing firms on the planet. Together they are creating, defining and distributing the products and an environment that will define the future art of the possible.
It is a park with purpose, designed to meet a moment shaped by exhilarating technological opportunity. It provides a workspace architecture to deliver at speed and scale the most vibrant, sustainable version of future industries: a blueprint that redefines how critical infrastructure is built, ensuring schedule certainty, elevating quality, and strengthening productivity globally.
Site Overview
Explore Park is a former brownfield site transformed into a 98-hectare advanced manufacturing and innovation hub. Anchored by global engineering, construction and manufacturing firm Laing O'Rourke which to date has invested £250m in its Centre for Modern Methods of Construction (CEMC) facility located on the Park. This facility is the largest and most advanced precast concrete facility in Europe.
Strategically located within the East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA), the Park is a designated tax and employment site in close proximity to STEP (Nuclear Fusion), three power stations, an in-plan AI data centre, and the East Midlands Supercluster. This makes it best placed to support the delivery of nationally significant energy infrastructure. With rail and road connectivity, it can reach 94% of the UK, as well as all of the major ports, airports, and freeports.
Private, Public and Local Partnership
Explore Park is the exemplar of public and private partnership in action. Stakeholders have formed a focused community to deliver an advanced manufacturing cluster that aligns with and is supported by the policies of the central government, local MPs, the regional Mayor, EMCCA, EMIZ, Nottinghamshire County Council, and the Bassetlaw and Bolsover district authorities. It is also actively engaged with local universities and private skills and training providers, drawing on the full strength of the region's talent ecosystem.
Key Features
Explore Park positions the UK as a global leader in advanced manufacturing and green technology. It enables key infrastructure entities to meet the Government's 2030 ambitions and beyond. More than a project, it is the strategic enabler for the UK's industrial future delivering affordable infrastructure, future-ready skills, and economic resilience through collaborative partnership with like-minded tenants.
In summary Explore Park is:
- A strategic, tax-advantaged employment site within the EMIZ and Invest 2035, the UK Government’s 10-year Industrial Strategy.
- A large flexible development site and secure location suitable for specialist industries.
- Enables public and private sectors working together to drive change and reimagine an industrial heartland.
- Has a cross-boundary Planning Participation Agreement with the local authorities with a dedicated planning resource to deliver fast, efficient and effective planning.
- Creates high-value, sustainable employment for the region.
- Provides a Golden Triangle connectivity link to nationally and internationally via rail, road, ports, and airports.
- Is an industry, academic and skills ecosystem providing academic research integration with advanced manufacturing and green technology talent.
- Provides a platform for SME innovation and collaboration that attracts and enables like-minded innovators defining the art of the possible, at scale.
- Sets the tempo of progress for British advanced manufacturing and green technology across critical sectors including healthcare, energy security, AI infrastructure, nuclear, and defence.
Incentives Available
Businesses locating on site benefit from East Midlands Investment Zone incentives:
- Stamp Duty Land Tax Relief
- Enhanced Capital Allowance
- Enhanced Structures and Buildings Allowance (SBA)
- Employer National Insurance Contributions Relief (NICS)
