Plans to create a new life sciences district in Oxford have been given the go-ahead by Oxford City Council.
Thomas White Oxford, the development company of St John’s College, has submitted two applications for Oxford North, which will see some 936,500 sq ft of labs and offices developed across a 64-acre site to the north of the city. The scheme will also deliver 450 homes, 35% of which will be affordable, and 23 acres of open space.
A detailed consent for the first phase of development will provide 140,000 sq ft of laboratories and office space in three buildings, along with the first phase of a new public park.
Professor Andrew Parker of St John’s College said: “The news that Oxford North has the green light is the culmination of many years of working collaboratively with Oxford City Council, and Oxfordshire County Council for highways, whose vision has been for the area to become home to a science and technology community, with much-needed new homes and vital infrastructure improvements. The college is heavily committed to creating a place, not just to facilitate life-enhancing science and technology discoveries, but a new district of Oxford where people want to live, visit and learn.
“Oxford North will connect and enhance the local area physically through open spaces, public art and culture, and immersive experiences. It will be a place for tomorrow’s workforce, improving people’s lives, air quality and the environment while delivering a significant boost to the economy. We are proud to be investing in such a project for Oxford.”
Charles Rowton-Lee, head of commercial agency at Savills Oxford, which is advising on the scheme, said: “Currently in the market we know of very strong demand for new laboratories and grade-A office accommodation totalling 1,275,000 sq ft. Oxford is a market where there is very low supply of good-quality space. Furthermore, there are lease events between 2021 and 2024 allowing companies to move from existing space to alternative accommodation totalling 1,500,000 sq ft.
“With the success of the Oxford University AstraZeneca vaccine and the soon to be opened Vaccine Manufacturing Innovation Centre at Harwell, we are seeing strong demand forming for inward investment, into Oxford, from around the world. University ‘spin-outs’ account for a lot of this interest, and companies wish to be associated with the high level of academia in the region.”
Fletcher Priest Architects, Gardiner & Theobald, Stantec, Townshend Landscape Architects, Hoare Lea, EDP, AKT II, BSG Ecology and Spacecraft Consulting are all advising on Oxford North.
To send feedback, e-mail samantha.mcclary@egi.co.uk or tweet @samanthamcclary or @estatesgazette
