July 22, 2019
Harlow Science Park is a new destination for business focusing on all areas of science, technology, research and innovation. Harlow Science Park offers 27 acres of Grade ‘A’ development opportunities in a town which includes occupiers such as Public Health England, Pearson, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Arrow Electronics and Raytheon.
The project started to become a reality when, in 2015, Harlow Council acquired 10 hectares of the London Road North site in Harlow and gained planning consent to create a collaborative, progressive sci-tech community as part of the Harlow Enterprise Zone, between London and Cambridge. The first phase of construction is scheduled to be completed by the end of summer 2019.
Vinci Developments, one of the UK’s largest construction companies, is working in partnership with Wrenbridge, one of the leading commercial developers in London, the East of England and the Home Counties to take this forward. Harlow Council will also work alongside Anglia Ruskin University to create a public health science campus, bringing together research, innovation and manufacturing.
This forward-thinking development will be located within the established UK Innovation Corridor, an area which already has a global reputation for excellence in scientific research and one in which Harlow continues to increase in prominence.
In June 2019, it was announced that the second phase of development for Harlow Science Park had been approved by Harlow Council. This will consist of a range of mid-tech units combining office, research and manufacturing and assembly space to be known as ‘Modus’, with funding of £7.2m approved for the development.
Developing Harlow Science Park
The site will be developed to a campus style, in an attractive setting, providing space for large companies as well as smaller incubation and ‘move on’ units. There will also be a requirement for some secondary retail and restaurant/café provision.
Public funding has been secured to put in place the necessary site infrastructure to make it ‘development ready’ – new roads, power and water supplies, as well as communications technology. Work to provide new road access to each of the developments was completed in June 2018.
It is expected that much of the development will be of a ‘design and build’ nature, given the very precise requirements of much of the target sectors. Two separate contracts were let by Harlow Council for enabling works that saw the construction of the first buildings at Harlow Science Park begin in October 2018, with the initial phase of construction focusing on a business innovation centre for Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) and part-funded by Essex County Council.
Also beginning construction in October 2018 was Harlow Science Park’s ‘Nexus’ building, a 30,000-square foot office building designed to provide ‘move on’ space for small and medium sized businesses.
The Innovation Centre, in collaboration with Anglia Ruskin University
Harlow Science Park will include a 15,000-square foot Innovation Centre built in collaboration with Anglia Ruskin University. The Innovation Centre will provide the potential for the commercialisation of spin off projects from research programmes into new medical technology. The development will capitalise on the growing wider science and engineering economy in this region, providing affordable space for start-up businesses, access to R & D facilities and resources, access to ARU’s extensive clinical trials programme, market intelligence and access to a wide industry network.
‘Harlow is the perfect location for this scheme due to its connectivity, large workforce and the commitment of many companies to entrepreneurship and innovation.’
Manager
Anglia Ruskin Business Innovation Centre for Medical and Advanced Engineering
The Innovation Centre is designed to be sublet in small units to start-up companies and postgraduates, offering an affordable base for R&D that could rapidly grow into something bigger.
Further details on the Science Park development can be found here.
Harlow’s reputation for science and innovation
Harlow is known historically as the birthplace of fibre optics and has had a long-standing reputation as a hub of science and innovation. It is the perfect place for projects such as Harlow Science Park due to its connectivity, large workforce and the commitment of many companies to entrepreneurship and innovation.
The new world-class Public Health England (PHE) labs will further contribute to Harlow Science Park’s science, technology, research and innovation focus, as well as increasing the attractiveness of the town for businesses in the science and health sector.
In a £450m move, PHE will continue their vital work in tackling some of the biggest issues in public health. The new facilities, based on the site currently owned by GSK, will create a centre for research, health improvement and protection working on international health threats, such as Ebola.
Another important feature of Harlow Enterprise Zone is the science and enterprise site KAO Park, a state of the art development which has attracted multinational companies such as Pearson, defence innovation specialist, Raytheon UK, and electronics supplier, Arrow Electronics.
Situated in KAO Park is KAO Data, a facility which is currently the largest data centre of its kind outside of the United States of America. For life sciences companies, KAO Data Campus provides the perfect solution to the challenge presented by exponential growth in healthcare data.
KAO Data will be the only campus within 30 miles of London to combine:
- 150,000 sq ft technical space
- 200,000 sq ft of grade A office space
Click here for more information about the ongoing development of the life sciences cluster in Harlow.
About Harlow Enterprise Zone
Harlow Enterprise Zone is a new science and IT park in an attractive campus style environment with excellent transport connections providing a new development for advanced manufacturing and life sciences/medical technology businesses. The on-site linkages with Anglia Ruskin University provide a dynamic collaborative environment between business and higher education with increased opportunities for innovation and enterprise. The Enterprise Zone contributes to economic growth and the UK’s export potential.
Harlow’s growing reputation as a science-led town originated with the development of the Harlow Enterprise Zone. This reputation originated in the 1960s with the development of fibre optic technology at Standard Telecommunication Laboratories (STL) by Nobel Prize winner Charles Kao, and continues to go from strength to strength over 50 years later.
For more information about Harlow Science Park, click here.
To find out more about the Harlow Enterprise Zone see here.
Originally posted by Invest Essex in July 2019.