Norwich: Multi-Million Pound Research Park Given Go-Ahead

9 January 2013, 16:47 | Updated: 9 January 2013, 17:03

South Norfolk District Council have given the go ahead for the £26 million research centre outside Norwich, which could create 5,000 jobs.

Members of South Norfolk Council’s planning committee voted unanimously to grant permission for the Masterplan for the Norwich Research Park North development.

The radical plans, which could create more than 5,000 jobs in the longer term, include new flagship buildings and upgrades to the park’s IT infrastructure and road network.

The investment will help to create and support new companies and jobs based on world-leading bioscience. Developments on the Park include:

• ·         New Centrum ‘Hub’ Building and commercial research and development space – building due to start in Spring 2013
• ·         New Enterprise Centre – building due to start in Spring 2013
• ·         Enhancements to the Innovation Centre
• ·         Improvements to the car parks, lighting, roads and IT infrastructure
• ·         Improvements to the highways around the Park
• ·         The addition of low-cost commercial space

In total 65,000 square metres of new commercial space for research and development will be created.

The Norwich Research Park North development area includes the John Innes Centre site (also encompassing research institutes The Sainsbury Laboratory and The Genome Analysis Centre), Institute of Food Research site and the University of East Anglia triangle site.

Matthew Jones, Chief Operating Officer, Norwich Research Partners LLP said: “The main strength of Norwich Research Park is the concentration of world-leading scientists coupled with the capability for multidisciplinary research.

“We are building on this by attracting new partners and innovative businesses to collaborate in our research and to fulfil our vision for commercialising the Park.”