Germany’s BioNTech is in discussions to establish its first UK facility at Cambridge’s 1000 Discovery Drive.
The firm signed a deal with the government earlier this month to test potential vaccines for cancer and other diseases in the UK. BioNTech wants to set up new research and development centres in the UK, with a lab in Cambridge and headquarters in London.
EG can reveal that BioNTech is now in talks to take around 40,000 sq ft of space within Cambridge Biomedical Campus. It is likely to pay between £60 to £65 per sq ft. If agreed, rents in the region will hit a new record, up almost 35% on the previous high of £48.50 per sq ft achieved for the Portway Building in Granta Park.
Situated on the southern edge of the campus, the five-storey 1000 Discovery Drive building, which is owned and has been developed by Prologis, will provide a total of 103,000 sq ft of laboratory and office space. Construction started in July last year, with completion scheduled for Q3 2023.
Andrew Blevins, head of life sciences at Prologis UK, said: “I’m pleased to say that we have had numerous expressions of interest in 1000 Discovery Drive at Cambridge Biomedical Campus. That’s perhaps unsurprising with the life sciences property market being vastly undersupplied, and the campus being a leading European hub of medical research.
“Designed with flexibility in mind, the new building will provide laboratory and office space in a variety of sizes and specifications, ranging from open-plan to laboratory and office space equipped. Moving forward, our plans at Cambridge Biomedical Campus include a further 300,000 sq ft of development planned to complement 1000 Discovery Drive.”
Warehouse developer Prologis bought out its London-listed joint venture partner Countryside Properties to take full control of the second phase of expansion last year. That part of the scheme will comprise £450m of new lab space.
The campus is set for further expansion, with up to 20 acres of land expected to come onto the market before the end of this year, which could deliver 1m sq ft of new life sciences space. Phase four is expected to cover around 40 acres currently in the green belt but with the potential to be earmarked for development by Cambridge City Council in the next local plan revision in 2025.
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