Construction firm Bowmer + Kirkland secured the contract last week to build Fabrica, Oxford’s largest commercial science park to date, with construction beginning at the end of May. The project is situated on Botley Road and is due to be completed in early 2027.
Valued at £190m, Fabrica is one of the largest science projects to undergo development in the UK this year. The 180,000sq ft. site includes a five-storey building which will house a flexible combination of laboratories and office space. The project will also include 7,000 sq ft. of public facing amenities, including a cafe.
The project originally received planning permission in December 2023 and is set to be Oxford’s first Living Wage Building with the ambition to pay all workers a living wage or higher, as set by Oxford City Council.
Fabrica forms the second phase of a broader project by developers Mission Street and investment manager BGO to create a portfolio of life sciences developments across the UK. This includes developments in Oxford’s West End, along Botley Road, which has been earmarked as the city’s new central science district.
In the first phase of their life sciences portfolio, partners Mission Street and BGO delivered a similar project to Fabrica in a disused retail unit at Botley Road Retail Park. The project, Inventa, opened in 2024 and accommodates 65,000 sq ft. of offices and laboratories.
Mission Street told Cherwell that: “Fabrica will provide five storeys of fully flexible laboratory, office, and collaboration space for commercial occupiers in the science and technology sectors with customisable floorplates designed for university spinouts, as well as established R&D companies.
“Local residents, the local authority and wider stakeholders were consulted extensively during the planning process over a period of more than two years, which included open public consultations.”
Founded in 2017, developers Mission Street have built a property portfolio incorporating 1.5 million sq ft. of science projects across the UK and recently secured a £180m loan to fund its future projects.
Mission Street’s partnership with BGO focuses on life sciences projects in the ‘golden triangle’ of Oxford, Cambridge and London. This focus aligns with the UK government’s plans for the Oxford-Cambridge growth corridor, where the government hopes to create Europe’s Silicon Valley, and their broader goal to kickstart economic growth across the country.
