Oxford North Receives Planning Approval for Three R&D Lab Buildings

The new buildings are part of Oxford North Phase 2 and were approved by the Oxford City Council planning committee on Tuesday 19th September 2023. The new £700 million life sciences innovation district will deliver one million sq ft of laboratory and workspaces, 480 new homes, hotel, nursery, cafes, bars, three public parks and infrastructure.

WilkinsonEyre has designed Plot B, consisting of a five-floor global HQ laboratory and office building with a total of 177,900 sq ft. With its frontage on the A40, the building will target BREEAM Excellent certification and have 100% electric heating and cooling, efficient lighting, high levels of fabric performance and optimised ventilation to incorporate heat recovery and solar PV technology. This will achieve a minimum 40% reduction in carbon emissions compared with the 2021 Building Regulations.

David Camp, Chief Executive Officer, Stanhope said: “We have been working hard to ensure that phase 2 provides much-needed advanced R&D lab and office buildings which have been purposefully designed for future life sciences occupiers allowing them to customise the fit-out to their requirements and providing spaces for everyone to enjoy.”

Stafford Critchlow, Director, WilkinsonEyre, added: “It has been a fascinating process to develop with the team an efficient commercial life sciences building with an appropriate architecture and landscape setting in this significant new place in Oxford.”