Cefas to invest in Lowestoft laboratories

Hayley MaceFisheries laboratories in Lowestoft will be improved and refurbished to secure more than 400 jobs in the town.The Centre for Environment, Aquaculture and Fisheries Science (Cefas) has revealed plans to invest in its headquarters building in Pakefield Road so that it can stay in the town for the foreseeable future.Hayley Mace

Fisheries laboratories in Lowestoft will be improved and refurbished to secure more than 400 jobs in the town.

The Centre for Environment, Aquaculture and Fisheries Science (Cefas) has revealed plans to invest in its headquarters building in Pakefield Road so that it can stay in the town for the foreseeable future.

Cefas, which is part of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural affairs (Defra), has been considering its options in the town since the collapse of the Waveney Campus partnership in December last year.

Now rather than building a new headquarters, Cefas is going to invest in its existing building so that it can be used for at least the next five to seven years, with a longer-term decision likely to be made at the end of that period.

Cefas chief executive Richard Judge said: 'We are naturally disappointed that we are not taking forward our plans for new-build, state-of-the-art facilities.

'However I am confident that with relatively modest short-term investment we will be able to tackle a range of maintenance issues, and to provide better facilities for our staff. Our immediate focus will be on delivering these short-term improvements.'