UK Set For Further New Major Life Science Developments
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The UK life science sector is booming like never before, something that might be expected as, unlike other sections of the economy, there was never any chance there would be a change to the high level of enthusiastic government support it enjoys, no matter how the general election turned out, as all parties had made their support clear.
As 2024 ends and 2025 looms, there are more positive signs as new prospective investments are announced into major new research centres, with these being spread across the UK. Among the latest are schemes in Manchester and Southampton.
The Manchester development will take place at Upper Brook Street in the Oxford Road corridor, the prime university campus area on the south side of the city centre, where the sale of land by the city council to Kadans has now been completed. Construction will begin next year and is expected to be completed in 2027.
Planning permission is already in place for the development, which will see an initial 215,000 sq ft of lab and office space being developed, creating 2,000 jobs. Other developers may follow, adding an extra 475,000 sq ft of life science space. The site sits close to half of the life science research space that already exists in Manchester.
The proposed Southampton development involves Scott Brownrigg Architects, which has just gained planning permission for a new research and development building at the University of Southampton’s science park. This will add another 3,400 sq ft of space. The three-storey building is expected to be up and running in 2026.
Robin Chave, the chief executive of the University of Southampton Science Park, said: “Impressive research conducted by our local universities and entrepreneurial innovators has led to life science expertise becoming a real regional asset.”
The growth of the sector across the UK shows that life sciences is not only growing, but avoiding the kind of north-south divides that have dogged other industries.