Less than 24 hours after announcing that two of its Milton Park office blocks were now fully let, MEPC has confirmed the first pre-let for a 9.5-acre extension to its Oxfordshire business campus.
Adaptimmune will move into its bespoke Park Drive Central facility next summer
Park Drive Central is the developer and manager’s latest extension at its Milton Park scheme — part of the Science Vale UK Enterprise Zone — with work already underway on a 67,000 sq ft purpose built laboratory and office building for Adaptimmune Therapeutics.
Granted planning consent under the fast track Local Development Order process, Adaptimmune’s new research and development facility will be one of four state-of-the-art buildings at Park Drive Central. It is expected to be completed by the summer of 2016.
James Noble is chief executive at Adaptimmune, established at Milton Park in 2008 to develop and market cancer immunotherapy products. His company currently employs around 150 staff in Britain and the United States.
“We are delighted to be working closely with MEPC on this exciting new building, which will provide best-in-class laboratories to support the expansion of our R & D team and enable continuing progress with our research programs,” said Noble.
“We started up Adaptimmune with just three staff to research into engineered T-cell receptors to fight cancer,” he added. “Our staff, on both sides of the Atlantic, are now contributing substantial scientific, development and corporate expertise to progress our preclinical and clinical programs to bring about breakthrough treatments for cancer patients.”
Breaking ground at Adaptimmune’s new Milton Park site (left to right) Adrian Rawcliffe, Adaptimmune’s chief financial officer; Philip Campbell, commercial director at MEPC; Dr Helen Tayton-Martin, chief operations officer at Adaptimmune; James Dipple, chief executive at MEPC; James Noble, chief executive at Adaptimmune, and Paul Pavia, MEPC’s head of development.
MEPC negotiated the pre-let deal directly with Adaptimmune. The rent for the 25-year lease has not been disclosed.
“This is great news for both Adaptimmune and the continuing development of Oxfordshire’s thriving biotech industry and economy,” commented James Dipple, chief executive at Milton Park.
“Adaptimmune was established at Milton Park in a small laboratory and we have watched this pioneering company expand into a globally recognised business. We are delighted we are able to accommodate their growth plans.”
As one of Europe’s largest business estates, Milton Park accommodates all types of companies, from manufacturing and medical services to mobile technology. It is home to more than 250 organisations, employing 7,500 staff.
