The United Kingdom aims to boost its life sciences profile as Aviva Capital Partners and Socius unveiled plans for a £1 billion ($1.3 billion) cancer research and manufacturing hub on the outskirts of London on Thursday.
Planned to be built just outside central London in Sutton, the new hub promises 3,000 new jobs, mostly “high-skilled R&D and small-scale manufacturing related to life sciences,” according to a release from Aviva Capital Partners (ACP), with a focus on oncology research.
ACP, Aviva’s in-house capital unit, and developer Socius have teamed up to deliver around 1 million square feet of research and laboratory space “in order to bring leading life sciences companies together with academic researchers and clinicians to drive innovation in cancer research.”
This would add to the so-called Golden Triangle in British life sciences research that links London to Oxford and Cambridge. The former includes world-leading academic science research at their respective universities while London and Sutton are home to the Institute of Cancer Research, the specialist cancer center The Royal Marsden Hospital, as well as Big Pharmas GSK and AstraZeneca.
The plans include large-scale facilities for biopharma use and smaller, flexible lab and incubator spaces for startups, “with the capacity to accommodate wet labs, Good Manufacturing Practice facilities, specialist equipment as well as modern office and collaborative workspaces,” Aviva said.
In what is being dubbed the “London Cancer Hub”, development will include restaurants and cafes, a creche and affordable homes for around 220 workers.
No spades are coming out just yet: The planning application “has been submitted following extensive consultation with the local community,” though Aviva sees a decision being made sometime this year.
“We invest to grow the economy, drive regeneration and create jobs and homes across the U.K.,” said David Epstein, M.D. of Aviva Capital Partners.
“We’re delighted to be investing in world-class cancer research in Sutton. As well as helping the UK to grow and get ready for the future, this investment will be a boost for the local area, with thousands of new jobs created.”