Oxford gives go-ahead for Botley Road and science park labs

Oxford City Council has approved the development of three life sciences schemes in the city to be brought forward by separate developers. British Land will be delivering its first 300,000 sq ft scheme in the city, which will sit on the 23-acre Botley Road Retail Park. The FTSE100-listed REIT owns a section of the park which covers the Currys building next to the car park and a selection of four buildings to the south of the park. The scheme, designed by Owers Warwick, comprises three laboratory and office buildings alongside new pedestrian routes and public squares. The buildings are designed for flexibility, accommodating a range of tenant sizes – from scaling start-ups to more established organisations, with a 50:50 lab-to-office ratio. The project is targeting BREEAM Outstanding certification and is conceived as a virtually car-free development. It provides more than 350 secure cycle parking spaces. Also within the Botley Road Retail Park, Columbia Threadneedle will convert New Barclay House into a life sciences facility. The 22,584 sq ft building is currently occupied by a car dealership and software companies Mirada Medical and Caristo Diagnostics. The site also features a car park comprising 150 spaces. Columbia Threadneedle is looking to demolish the existing office and construct a 204,514 sq ft life sciences laboratory, featuring research and development space, office and a café. The proposals, designed by Foster + Partners, also include 230 cycle parking spaces. Outside of the Botley Road Retail Park, a 75,000 sq ft building will be delivered on plot 27 at the Oxford Science Park. The development will comprise lab and office facilities over four storeys alongside a landscaped area. The scheme, created by Bogle Architects, forms a part of the wider 500,000 sq ft expansion of the park, with plots 23-26, featuring 400,500 sq ft of labs and offices, rebranded as the Daubeny project. Yong Shen, director at The Oxford Science Park, said: “This development allows us to offer more facilities in an established setting that promotes collaboration, sustainability and discovery, further cementing The Oxford Science Park’s reputation as a destination for science and technology companies.” Image © British Land/Owers Warwick