Manchester Science Partnerships (MSP) has today revealed plans for the first phase of development at their 400-acre life science campus at Alderley Park.
The plans centred on the Mereside science campus and were revealed at MIPIM - the annual international property conference held in Cannes, France.
The plans signal the first major step for MSP's vision to transform Alderley Park, AstraZeneca's former R&D headquarters, 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 £30 million 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.
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.
One of the first major redevelopments for MSP and Bruntwood, is the redesign of a four-story building on the Eastern edge of Mereside, transforming an old AstraZeneca lab facility into a 300,000 sq ft business centre which will include a variety of workspaces from high-end specialist labs to flexible offices and manufacturing facilities.
Designs will centre around a new communal atrium and internal courtyard featuring new meeting and conference facilities with views over the Alderley Park woodland. In addition, substantial new entrances will open up the building and the plans will also feature opportunities for retail and café facilities.
Rowena Burns, CEO Manchester Science Partnerships comments: "Our bold scheme for this once forgotten building demonstrates the sheer scale of the opportunity at Alderley Park. With 300,000 sq ft of additional space, we are taking the first major step toward expanding the business community here, and fulfilling our commitment to provide 7,000 high-value jobs within the next ten years."
Councillor Michael Jones, Leader of Cheshire East Council said: "We hope that, with the right strategic planning framework in place, we can create a unique, self-sustaining hub for the life science sector at Alderley Park.
"That is why, alongside AstraZeneca and Manchester Science Partnerships, Cheshire East Council has committed to invest £5m 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."
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