Launch of fitted labs and 100-seat Auditorium at £1.2 billion Oxford North innovation district

Oxford North, the city’s state-of-the-art flagship new global innovation district, has launched its new fully fitted lab and office accommodation, alongside a state of the art 100-seat Auditorium.

The first phase offers fitted labs from 1,000 sq ft to lab-enabled buildings of 58,000 sq ft, alongside The Red Hall, which totals 33,000 sq ft of workspace across four floors.

The fitted labs, totalling 13,500 sq ft across four units, are perfect for growing companies. With the space designed by scientists, companies benefit from on-site technical support, a shared equipment room with online-bookable equipment, including an autoclave, -80 °C freezer, fume cupboard, purified water, flexible lab benching and gas piping connected to gas stores. The associated write-up space features sit-stand desks and has a direct data connection to its lab.

This represents the latest milestone for the innovation district, which has been designed to cater to the science, technology and AI ecosystem, from start-ups and spin-outs through to global giants, offering the full lifecycle of space and requirements for companies as they start and grow.

With a focus on collaboration, Oxford North has also delivered a flexible 100-seater auditorium which is now available for hire. It forms part of the community-inspired amenity space on the ground floor of The Red Hall, designed as a versatile space to be used for conferences and lectures, or subdivided for smaller seminars, meetings and events.

Co-working and breakout spaces accommodating up to 40 people are available adjacent to the auditorium. The auditorium is adjacent to Taylor's Oxford North café, which faces Fallaize Park, providing a great focal point for both occupiers and the wider innovation community.

Simon Ruck, Managing Director of Oxford North, said: “Oxford North has been purposely designed to support businesses at all stages of their development, from start-ups to scale-ups to global corporates. Fast-growing businesses require flexible, adaptable space, and this fully fitted lab space means companies can expand quickly in line with funding and research milestones, saving time and costs on fit-outs and delivering operational efficiencies. This is essential for smaller companies across the science, technology and innovation sectors.

“Delivering this latest phase at Oxford North, on time, is an important step as we continue building out one of the UK’s most dynamic mixed-use ecosystems, which benefits stakeholders across the city and beyond.”

Kevin Darvishi, Head of Leasing, Stanhope, said: “This is the latest milestone in our vision to create the UK’s leading purpose-built innovation district which caters for the whole science and technology lifecycle ecosystem.”

International law firm Mishcon de Reya recently moved into Oxford North. The Thames Valley Team agreed a five-year lease for 3,500 sq ft of office space on the first floor of The Red Hall.

Oxford North is being delivered by Oxford North Ventures, the joint venture company of Thomas White Oxford, the development company of St John’s College, Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan and Stanhope.

With consent for up to one million sq ft of brand new, flexible lab and office accommodation, Oxford North is well-positioned to capture the growing demand from a broad spectrum of companies to help support the growth of the UK’s life science, technology and innovation industries.