This has resulted in on-site and off-site infrastructure improvements including new roads, business parks, education and innovation facilities, and a new all-weather runway at Solent Airport.
The Solent LEP utilised £8m from the Solent Growing Places Fund to lever an infrastructure package valued at over £15m, with additional investment secured from Hampshire County Council and the Government’s Regional Growth Fund to bring about this major regeneration of an ex-military airfield covering 200 hectares into productive use.
The opening of CETC was supported by a £2.8m Local Growth Deal grant and has been created alongside a consortium of local civil engineering employers to ensure strong links with the private sector.
The Fareham Innovation Centre provides both office and small workshop units. The Centre has been hugely successful and an extension that more than doubled its size was opened in 2018 with £7m investment by Fareham Borough Council including £2m grant support from Solent LEP.
There has also been significant investment the development of a new £12m college, a multi-million-pound Stubbington Bypass scheme and the development of mixed use Waterfront regeneration area.
Established in 1917 as a seaplane training school during the First World War, HMS Daedalus played a significant role during the Second World War and Solent Airport was the busiest airport in the country on D-Day. Find out more about the history of Solent Airport here.
In 1996 HMS Daedalus was decommissioned and fell into disrepair, until Fareham Borough Council acquired the 369 acre site in 2015.
An initial Council investment of over £30m provided improvements to the airport as well as industry-leading office and workshop space to make Daedalus a premier location for business.
The site now forms part of the Solent Enterprise Zone , which was the catalyst for the development of a new £12m college, a multi-million-pound Stubbington Bypass scheme and the development of mixed use Waterfront regeneration area.
Daedalus is now home to a growing community of innovative businesses operating across aerospace, aviation, engineering, advanced manufacturing, logistics, technology and professional services, and is one of the South Coast’s leading destinations for business growth, investment and collaboration.
Contact us today to learn more about the Daedalus Solent Enterprise Zone
© Solent Enterprise Zone 2026 | Privacy Policy
Website by Eldo™
