Our Science Cities event in Oxford January 2025

Above: aerial view of the Advanced Research Clusters business park at Cowley adjacent to the ring round and the Oxford BMW plant, soon to be served by the Cowley branch line re-opened for public use - courtesy of Oxford City Council

Future Cities Forum will be holding its January 'Science Cities' discussion event at Said Business School, University of Oxford, directly adjacent to Oxford's main railway station..

The discussion will look at how the loosening on planning restrictions brought in by the new government will help the expansion of Oxford and other UK cities develop as science super-powers. It will also examine new models for public-private relationships to support vital infrastructure for connectivity not only for the growth of much-needed housing but also for access to manufacturing bases for science innovation. The UK is competing globally for talent and to be seen as a preferred place for investment from international companies.

Future Cities Forum recently released its report featuring the issues of joined up planning in Oxfordshire at its discussion event held at Jesus College Oxford last June. Contributing to the debate were the Chief Executive of Oxfordshire County Council, Martin Reeves and Corporate Director - Environment and Place, Bill Cotton as well as the Chief Executive of OxLEP, Nigel Tipple.

Oxfordshire County Council's Chief Executive, Martin Reeves spoke of the tension involved in the creating high quality place and tackling the demand for new homes:

'If you start thinking about place, you can't understand the future of place and of density in a city like Oxford without understanding the relationship with the county and how we relate to those around us, and with Cambridge. There is only so much you can do in a congested and contested dense urban space in medieval Oxford. You can go high but that has issues. The question becomes how does this relate to transport connectivity, mobility hubs and future transport with our wider area market towns and villages where there is significant dis-connectivity? Also how do we relate to those other growth areas around us?

Corporate Director Environment and Place at Oxfordshire County Council, Bill Cotton was asked about protecting the place agenda as the county and and city region invests in new infrastructure, green travel and connectivity. He said:

'One of my favourite phrases is the 'tyranny of geography' because wherever you go a line has to be drawn somewhere, and there is always someone on the wrong side of that line. You have that issue with the city of Oxford which has tight boundaries around it and then the districts outside who cannot always agree over what goes where, in terms of developments, so there is a big push now in terms of painting that picture of joining things up which everyone can buy into. With that strategic over-view of the city and the county it becomes a lot easier to plug in the infrastructure, whether that is the Cowley branch line extension or something else.

Bill was also asked about the tensions around development, to attract global talent and keeping local communities engaged:

'There is a sometimes a view among communities locally which says - of proposed new science and university developments - what's in it for me? The housing prices are unaffordable and my children won't be getting a job there as they don't have double PhD. We need to work really hard on the inclusivity of schemes and finding pathways into work for the wider community. However growth will happen, as the government really wants this region to succeed, as it is a net contributor to the exchequer.'

Nigel Tipple, the Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership's (OxLEP) Chief Executive spoke about the importance of Brand Oxford on the world stage:

'We spend too much time talking about what isn't working and not enough time celebrating what is going well. We have an incredibly strong brand which is globally significant and which is working for us, but it could do better. Our brand allows us to have conversations globally, and to start those conversations much earlier than some can. We are not competing with Cambridge, but the pan-regional geography is important as well to elevate that conversation about brand to attract investment, but also to land investment in an adjacent place but not see it as a loss. My view is that we do as much work in fusion technology with colleagues in Sheffield because of the relationships with their capability and our R&D, and on space technology with scientists at Goonhilly space station in Cornwall with Brand Oxford visible. We do spend too much time worrying about what we can't agree on (locally). We have a statutory planning process with a set of rules which we have to work within.

Martin Reeves added:

'When you consider the wider place agenda, I am happy to be part of an international trade mission alongside Cambridge, based on a regional grouping, because international investors view the UK, Oxford and the wider region geography differently - for an instance a Canadian pension fund, or a Chinese investor will have different perspectives. So it may appropriate to combine Oxford and Cambridge for this within a wider grouping. However we do remain one of the most unequal cities and counties in the entire country.'

Questions were put about the resilience of UK science parks within the cross-winds of a turbulent economy, the necessity of speed when delivering development to prevent successful spin-out companies from going abroad, developing essential links to education in the democratising of science for young people, the importance of being a 'good neighbour' as a science park, and how to draw 'hostile communities' onside to support new science developments.

Gary Clark, Principal and European Regional Lead for Science & Technology at HOK, answered:

'I see what's happening in the US and I compare what is happening in the UK in terms of science development. I am very positive about what is happening here in the UK. However there remains the question in how we get things done. It's about joining up that last piece of the jigsaw in terms of wider government and developers, but the clear idea is there.

'It is still not enough to stop spin outs going abroad as they scale-up. You have great brands in Oxford but those in Glasgow don't quite stack up. It is still taking too long from planning to building - sometimes four years. Things have changed in Cambridge because Gove got wind of the possibilities. Sadly the ambition in Glasgow is still to sell to America.

'The main message is that if we do not build fast enough, spin outs will go elsewhere.'

The conversation turned to the important topic of retrofit with climate change in mind but also the changing nature of some science developments that might provide logistics space with the changing needs of the economy in mind. Eugene Sayers, Partner, Sheppard Robson explained:

'We carry out lots of retrofit for universities and is often the backbone of our lab work. In a lot of cases it is responsible to do so but it is not always the right answer. It does make sense a lot of the time as older buildings can be more robust as budgets were not so constrained in past times and the buildings are easier to fit things into.

'However, we are now going through a new industrial revolution and seeing buildings grow in size for their purpose. Science buildings are now often very large and are being built under a new typology. We do not want to create a new Shenzhen but improve on some of what's going on in the US.

'With out of town science parks we are having to come up with real reasons for a would-be tenant to go to them, such as a shop or other facilities. At our new proposed development MIX Manchester, this is the opposite. There is no hospital or university on site as a draw and it has been a chance to re-think with the growth of the science and tech economy, a reason to review our ideas. Who might come to a place like that? it might be companies that want a footprint in the UK, a place to manufacture. It doesn't have to be their headquarters, it might be just their logistics place. There are developments now with the way that the economy is going, where you don't always need scientists.'

Oxford City Council's Ted Maxwell spoke enthusiastically about the opportunity of new stations for the Cowley Branch Line, which in his view will make a vast difference in connectivity and housing development, despite the tensions over discussions with Historic England in protecting landscape views:

'The Cowley Branch Line is not a silver bullet but if successful will be a real exemplar for other projects. The proposal is to upgrade the track infrastructure so it can work for passengers as well as freight. It will create two new stations for Littlemore and Cowley and there is an inherent logic to that connectivity in historic terms as there were stations in place sixty years ago. They are two of the most deprived wards in the city and yet there will be quick connections created to the city centre and beyond to Marylebone, London for those communities - and potentially to East West Rail to Bedford and Cambridge. I am working with Oxford County Council and three local land developers on funding and what we do not want is for these two stations to arrive like alien spaceships, and to make sure the severance made by the ring road is addressed and partly undone. Historic England is an interested party and will prefer to see sustainable connections, but we believe that control of economic development is supported by this scheme coming forward. We would like to see up to 10,000 new jobs being created. How high or dense the development should be are ongoing questions, but there is no doubt, whether it is existing housing or new development, all of it will be made more sustainable.'

ARC Group's Development and Construction Director Jenny Gardner added her perspective on the branding of science parks and investment in space research:

'At Harwell we have over 300 space companies, and my job is on the private side joint venture part of the campus to try and grow the platform. We are currently working on the Space Gateway project to deliver 200,000 square feet of space in a new building. This is a joint partnership between us and the public sector. It will essentially bring the UK Space Agency and the Catapult together which will be able to explain to the public the benefits of space research. It will also bring in the Ministry of Defence and a third of the space will be dedicated to the private sector. If we can get this through, politics allowing, the building will be our bright shining star at the front of the campus drawing in both professionals and the public. I am not an an architect but I rely a lot on them to help bring a strong visual feel and identity to buildings on the campus.'

ARC Group has recently reported a the addition of a major tenant company at Harwell:

'Moderna, a biotechnology company pioneering messenger RNA (mRNA) therapeutics and vaccines, has selected Harwell the UK’s leading science and innovation campus, as the location for its Moderna Innovation and Technology Centre (MITC).  

The MITC development will encompass a research, development and manufacturing facility, providing the UK public with access to cutting-edge mRNA vaccines for a wide range of respiratory diseases, pending regulatory assessment and licensure.  

'The MITC will also include a clinical biomarker laboratory -a prefabricated modular laboratory constructed in Northumberland which will then be installed on the campus. Construction will begin this year, with the facility expected to become operational in 2025, subject to planning and regulatory approvals. The investment will create hundreds of jobs across Oxfordshire and the UK and will cement Harwell Campus as a national health tech hub for the pioneering research and development of mRNA and other nucleic acid therapeutics.' 

Join us at our January 'Science Cities' event in Oxford to learn about the latest thinking and developments in planning, infrastructure and innovation.

Below: Said Business School front entrance view - courtesy Oxford University