Acting on behalf of the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus Limited Partnership, Carter Jonas has secured planning permission for a new vaccine research and manufacturing facility at the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus in Oxfordshire. The permission was granted by Vale of White Horse District Council on 6 April.

The permission is for a 16,000m2 research, development and manufacturing facility, providing the UK public with access to cutting-edge mRNA vaccines for a wide range of respiratory diseases, pending regulatory assessment and licensure. It will be occupied by Moderna, as the Moderna Innovation and Technology Centre (MITC) and will also include a clinical biomarker laboratory - a prefabricated modular laboratory constructed in Northumberland, which will then be installed on the campus.

Construction work has already begun on site and the scheme is programmed for completion in 2025.

The investment will create hundreds of jobs across Oxfordshire and the UK and will cement the Harwell Campus’s position as a national health tech hub for the pioneering research and development of mRNA and other nucleic acid therapeutics.

Steven Sensecall, Partner at Carter Jonas in Oxford commented, “Carter Jonas is proud  to have been instrumental in securing planning permission for this nationally important facility at the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus. Harwell is an extremely important, internationally recognised science cluster where many scientific breakthroughs have occurred in recent years.  We very much value our relationship with the Campus Partnership and are proud to be part of the professional tram that is shaping its future. Delivery of the MITC will be of significant benefit to both Moderna and other companies based here and we are very pleased to have played an instrumental in obtaining this further planning consent.”

Stuart Grant, Chief Executive of Harwell Campus said, “MRNA technology has the capability to transform how we treat a variety of diseases and enhance UK resilience against future pandemics. I’m delighted that this planning consent enables us to welcome Moderna to Harwell Campus, and our thriving health tech cluster. We’re entering a new era of medicine so it’s important that we deliver and build cutting edge facilities to reflect this and spaces that promote innovation and encourage collaboration.”

Carter Jonas will continue to advise on town planning matters through to delivery of the project.