A Suffolk council's plans to create an £18.75m skills and innovation centre have been given a big boost.

The business case for the centre - planned for Mid Suffolk District Council’s Gateway 14 development at Stowmarket - has now been given the green light by council leaders.

The centre will offer opportunities for business growth, innovation, enterprise and training and is thought to be the first of its kind in the area.

It will focus on emerging sectors linked to "green" and digital skills with flexible on-site learning and teaching spaces.

The proposals will provide flexible onsite learning and teaching spaces, with a particular focus on emerging sectors linked to ‘green’ and ‘digital’ skills.

Gateway 14 - which recently celebrated the unveiling of a 1.17m sq ft megashed for retail chain The Range which will create around 1,650 jobs - is a freeport site which means it can benefit from a number of tax and other perks.

The council’s cabinet approved the full business case for the skills centre at a meeting today. The next step is funding approval from Mid Suffolk Full Council and Freeport East Board.

Councillor Richard Winch, Cabinet Member for Housing and Property at Mid Suffolk District Council, said: “This project is an incredibly exciting opportunity for our district, and for businesses and individuals looking to upskill, innovate and collaborate.

“The Skills and Innovation Centre concept is a unique proposition and by bringing together the range of workspaces and facilities available and linked with West Suffolk College and the Universities of Suffolk and Essex, we are able to deliver a bespoke range of facilities and activities which will act as catalyst for wider inward investment and collaboration across the region and a hub for the development of the green economy.”

“We believe that once complete, the centre will unlock business growth, stimulate innovation, and provide many more opportunities for people in exciting and fast-growing job sectors.”

As well as modern workspaces with meeting and training rooms and shared spaces, the centre will offer careers and recruitment advice and a local labour market data observatory to identify areas of skills demand and supply.

The 35,000 sq ft building will be built to very high environmental standards and meet a minimum BREAAM standard of excellence.

Development of the centre would enable the development of a wider innovation cluster at Gateway 14.