The ‘Whitechapel Road Life Sciences Cluster’ represents an opportunity to create a new home for life sciences in London, delivering new lab and commercial space alongside significant public realm improvements.
Savills is leading the search for a developer to deliver this substantial central London development site.
This followed the submission of a planning application in December 2021 for a major new commercial life sciences development in Whitechapel by NHS Property Services on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care.
NHS Property Services (NHS PS), on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), have submitted plans to transform a series of outdated buildings and empty sites around the Royal London Hospital and create a new life sciences cluster in Whitechapel.
The Whitechapel Road Life Sciences Cluster comprises a range of new life sciences spaces that can provide specialised laboratories, as well as flexible office accommodation, alongside exciting new public realm, cafés and community spaces.
Savills, on behalf of NHS PS, has now launched the marketing for this major new commercial life sciences development opportunity which will form part of the ongoing regeneration of Whitechapel. Savills is seeking proposals for the freehold interest in the site.
The 3.4 acre (1.4 ha) site, known as Whitechapel Road Life Sciences Cluster, is seeking planning permission for approximately 800,000 sq ft of new lab-enabled and office space across a series of plots. A planning application has been submitted for the proposals which will be determined by the London Borough of Tower Hamlets later this year.
The site is immediately adjacent to several major health, research, and academic institutions, including the Royal London Hospital and Queen Mary University of London. This includes Queen Mary’s QMB Innovation Centre - one of only three purpose-built commercial laboratory incubators in central London - and a number of Queen Mary’s world-leading research facilities. The area also benefits from an existing life sciences ecosystem and strong vision for growth, coordinated by Barts Life Sciences, a partnership between Barts Health NHS Trust – one of the largest NHS Trusts in the UK - Queen Mary and Barts Charity.
In November 2021, Queen Mary also agreed to acquire a plot of the wider site, included in the planning application, where they will be bringing forward plans for a new state-of-the-art life sciences centre.
Oliver Fursdon, London Commercial Development Director, at Savills, says: “This is an exclusive opportunity to acquire a substantial central London development site positioned both immediately next to a world-class cluster of academic and scientific institutions and an Elizabeth Line (Crossrail) station due to open this year. Whitechapel Road Life Sciences Cluster is strategically located with excellent connectivity to both Old Street and east London’s tech hub, and the city’s financial centres, providing the potential to develop a pioneering scheme that could transform the area and capitalise on growing demand from the life sciences sector in London.”
Adrian Powell, Development and Planning Director, NHS Property Services adds: “We are delighted to be leading this project on behalf of the Department for Health and Social Care and working towards a positive decision on the planning application we have submitted to the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.
“This development represents an opportunity to create a vibrant community and commercial cluster that we hope will support a broadly based Life Sciences, technology and innovation ecosystem, providing quality jobs in the area and the best health outcomes for local people. The proposed improvements to the street scene and public areas will also provide a safe, green and attractive place for locals to work, relax and meet.”