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Manchester Science Partnerships (MSP) and Bruntwood have revealed plans for the first phase of development at their flagship 162-hectare life science campus at Alderley Park, Cheshire. The plans centered on the Mereside science campus and were revealed at MIPIM – the annual international property conference held in Cannes, France.
The session, titled ‘Translating Science into Place’, highlighted Manchester’s role in driving innovation and growth for the UK and celebrated Manchester’s future host city status as ‘European City of Science 2016’. The role of the Universities and the growing science and technology sectors was covered in speeches by Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell, Chris Oglesby MSP Chairman and CEO Bruntwood, and Rowena Burns CEO Manchester Science Partnerships.
The plans signal the first major step for MSP’s vision to transform Alderley Park, AstraZeneca’s former headquarter, into a thriving open innovation community for life science businesses, with over 7,000 high-value jobs planned on-site in the next decade. Bruntwood and MSP have committed to €42.1M capital investment for the next three years at Alderley Park to deliver 1.5m sq ft lettable lab and workspace, to respond to the demand and needs of a multi-occupier site, which already features state-of-the-art laboratory and office workspace set in the heart of idyllic Cheshire parkland.
As MSP’s property partner, the Bruntwood model for property redevelopment and management will add real value to the estate by breathing new life into older buildings to diversify accommodation options for businesses at every stage of their life cycle, from SMEs to global corporate headquarters.
The initial Mereside designs were revealed whilst the site-wide redevelopment plans for Alderley Park are currently subject to a public consultation process, as part of the Cheshire East Council strategic development Masterplan, which is a draft framework to set the guidance for future development.
Councillor Michael Jones, Leader of Cheshire East Council stated: “That is why, alongside AstraZeneca and Manchester Science Partnerships, Cheshire East Council has committed to invest €7M in a new investment fund to support the development of established companies on the site. Alderley Park represents an exciting opportunity that is vitally important to our economy and to the strength and growth of the life sciences industry in the North West as a whole.”