£60m Manchester biomed project to create over 750 jobs

Science and technology park operator Manchester Science Partnerships (MSP) has revealed plans to invest £60m in its Citylabs biomedical hub in partnership with Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (CMFT).

The development will create two new facilities, Citylabs 2.0 and Citylabs 3.0, at the CMFT campus in the city’s Corridor Manchester innovation district, providing additional space for biomed firms to grow and develop new health products.

Once complete, the two new facilities are forecast to generate additional economic growth of more than £100m and create over 750 jobs in the city.

The project is the first to come from the Strategic Property Partnership between MSP’s parent company, office space provider Bruntwood, and CMFT. Announced in March, the agreement will support the delivery of research, innovation and clinical care, as well as the development of the CMFT estate.

Both Citylabs 2.0 and 3.0 will be situated on the corner of Oxford Road and Hathersage Road, adjacent to Whitworth Park.

The £25m Citylabs 2.0 will offer 85,000 sq ft of office and lab space, with construction work due to begin in Spring 2017 and completion forecast for Summer 2018, subject to planning permission.

Citylabs 3.0, a £35m, 100,000 sq ft project, will include the development of new buildings as well as the integration of the listed Old Saint Mary’s Hospital. Construction work is set to start in Summer 2018 for a 2020 completion date.

The chief executive of Manchester Science Partnerships, Rowena Burns, said: “It is entirely fitting that we are making this announcement as part of ESOF – an international event which is focused on innovation and collaboration – two of the pillars on which our business is built.

“Manchester’s Innovation District will be strengthened further by the development of Citylabs 2.0 and 3.0. Our investment will help create fresh ideas, partnerships and scientific discovery.”

She added: “Above all, Manchester and the North West offer investors outstanding access to talent, knowledge and clinical facilities.”

The chairman of Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Steve Mycio OBE, commented: “By working together in this way with industry, the NHS can ensure health technologies are developed that deliver better outcomes more efficiently to meet current and future needs of our patients and healthcare providers.

“Citylabs 2.0 and 3.0 is our first scheme under the Strategic Property Partnership that CMFT has formed with Bruntwood. Its purpose is to help ensure that our hospital building and facilities are developed in a flexible and modern way to facilitate early access to new diagnostics and treatments.”

He continued: “Earlier this year our campus received designation as a Life Sciences Enterprise Zone. This will make Citylabs and our campus an even more attractive place for business, especially spin outs from the hospitals and universities.”

MSP chairman and Bruntwood chief exec Chris Oglesby said: “It is great to see our pioneering Strategic Property Partnership with the NHS in Manchester hitting the ground running.

“Our investment in Citylabs 1.0 has been a huge success and we are confident that Citylabs 2.0 and 3.0 will be similarly well received by businesses centred in bio-medical research and innovation.”

Chris added: “Manchester’s excellent connectivity, universities and talent pool, combined with its spirit of enterprise means the city is well placed to thrive in the coming years and we are determined to be at the heart of this journey.”

Subject to planning consent, which will be sought by the end of 2016, the Citylabs expansion will be delivered across two phases.

Manchester City Council Leader Sir Richard Leese commented: “Citylabs epitomises Manchester’s proud tradition of cutting edge research, one of our distinctive strengths.

“This major investment sends out a resounding message that we remain an outward and forward-looking city in which those who want to invest and create jobs can flourish.”

Citylabs 1.0, which launched in September 2014 following a £25m redevelopment, was fully let within its first 15 months. The site is on track to generate over 400 new jobs and plough an estimated £60m a year into Manchester’s economy.