Bruntwood SciTech – a 50/50 joint venture between Bruntwood and Legal & General – will deliver a redevelopment of the Park’s existing Greenheys building to provide 131,000 sq ft of specialist lab space.

Enabling works are due to commence later this summer.

The planning approval follows confirmation that UK Biobank – the world’s leading source of data and biological samples for health research – will move to Greenheys, adding to the 150 pioneering SMEs and large businesses already based at Manchester Science Park.

UK Biobank was recently awarded £127.6m from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) to support its relocation to a purpose-built facility with larger, faster and more efficient biological sample storage.

This highly specialist new building will become UK Biobank’s headquarters and home to its biological samples and laboratories, as well as a latest-generation robotic freezer that will store and retrieve up to 20 million biological samples donated by UK Biobank’s 500,000 volunteer participants.

The BREEAM Excellent development will be 100% electric and support the latest innovations in building materials and environmental technology to reduce its embodied carbon, and will achieve net zero carbon in construction and operation in its shared spaces.

Greenheys will additionally feature a ‘solar shading’ façade which will reduce heat absorption and visual glare, and a green wall wrapping around its first two floors to increase biodiversity and improve air quality.

A local team has been appointed to work with Bruntwood SciTech on the redevelopment of Greenheys, consisting of BDP Architects, planning consultancy from Deloitte, cost consultancy from Walker Sime, DW Consulting for Structures and Civils, and Silcock Leedham for MEP.