Construction on a 65,455 sq ft development at Westcott Venture Park in Buckinghamshire in on course for a Summer 2025 completion.
The £16 million scheme will offer a range of state-of-the-art facilities for space research, advanced manufacturing and testing and shared workspaces as well as modern office units, a conference centre and a café.
The first two phases of the development have been boosted by £5.9m from the UK Space Agency. Outline consent has been agreed for Phase Three, comprising 30,000 sq ft of modern industrial units, which will come to market in Q4 2025.
Westcott owner, PATRIZIA Hanover Property Unit Trust has agreed pre-lets on Phase One with URA Thrusters, which will occupy 10,000 sq ft and Westcott Shared Facilities, which will occupy 5,000 sq ft. A further 5,000 sq ft industrial unit will be available to rent.
Phase Two will introduce The Skylark, named after the motor used in Britain’s first space rocket developed at Westcott in the 1950s. It will include a communal centre for collaboration and innovation and will have a café, auditorium and meeting and co-working spaces on the ground floor as well as commercial office space available to let on the first floor.
Max Pearson, associate director for PATRIZIA, said: “This development is the largest in Westcott’s history and will establish the park as one of the most supportive and adaptable environments for businesses to thrive.
“The Skylark facility is poised to revolutionise the working environment at Westcott, significantly boosting its attractiveness as a prime location for prospective tenants. It will also enable the Westcott Space Cluster to make substantial contributions to the advancement of space research, manufacturing, and testing.”
Dr Paul Bate, chief executive of the UK Space Agency, said: “Westcott Venture Park is a hotbed of innovation in areas such as space propulsion and it’s exciting to see the space cluster there continue to grow. Enhancing the state-of-the-art facilities on site will help attract new talent to the sector and support important research, manufacturing and testing activities while catalysing more investment into the region.”
Image (l-r): Mischa Davis, senior fund manager for PATRIZIA, Emily Waller, strategic account director for satellite applications catapult, Annelies Look, deputy chief executive of the UK Space Agency, Natalie Speer, head of operations at URA Thrusters and Matt Peachey, head of enterprise zone development at Buckinghamshire Council.
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