Medical research organisation LifeArc has agreed to pre-let the entirety of Kova KX, Native Land and AshbyCapital’s 70,000 sq ft life science development in London’s King’s Cross.
Market sources have told Estates Gazette that the lease was signed on a 15-year term at over £100 per sq ft. The deal marks the largest life sciences letting in the UK in 2025, and the largest in London since 2022.
The existing 57,000 sq ft office building, which sits at 105 Judd Street, has been most recently used as the headquarters of the Royal National Institute of Blind People. It is now being repositioned to provide a two-storey extension and is expected to be completed in 2027.
LifeArc currently has offices in Tavistock Square and scientific research facilities in Stevenage and Edinburgh, as well as a specialist science team working at the nearby Francis Crick Institute in London.
Kova KX, designed by Stiff + Trevillion Architects, will be net-zero carbon in operation with all-electric services and is targeting a BREEAM Outstanding rating. Its top three floors will offer green spaces and outdoor terraces, while the lower ground floor will house health club-style showers and changing facilities, as well as 140 cycle parking spaces. The ground-floor reception area will feature a collaborative events space.
Sam Barrell and Stéphane Maikovsky, chief executive and chief financial officer at LifeArc respectively, said: “The move to 105 Judd Street enables us to bring our expert staff and scientists together in a single building for the first time and improving our ability to turn promising scientific breakthroughs into new tests, treatments and cures for people living with a rare disease and global health infections.”
Peter Ferrari, chief executive at AshbyCapital, said: “The opportunity for life sciences real estate has been much talked about but this deal highlights that there is real demand for high-quality space in the right location.”
Alasdair Nicholls, chief executive at Native Land, added: “With our partners AshbyCapital, Native Land has demonstrated that heritage buildings should and can be creatively repurposed to cater to the most exacting and demanding of property occupiers.”
Cushman & Wakefield and Knight Frank are the appointed leasing agents on Kova KX while Savills represented LifeArc.
Image: Ashby and Native Land
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