Building Birmingham's Science City
Birmingham Post Science and Technology Supplement - May 2006
The development of the prestigious University Science Park, Pebble Mill in Edgbaston is one of the latest significant investments into Birmingham’s rapidly developing knowledge economy. With its two world-class Universities, its internationally renowned medical and healthcare facilities and science-city status, the new science park further confirms Birmingham’s excellence as a centre for commercial and research knowledge enterprise.
The landmark development for the city is the vision of a unique partnership between landowners Calthorpe Estates working with Advantage West Midlands, the University of Birmingham, Central Technology Belt and Birmingham City Council to deliver a high-value centre that underlines Birmingham as a world class city in which to invest, work and live.
The creation of the ground breaking science park, on the 12-acre former BBC site at Pebble Mill, will help to drive the progression of the city’s globally competitive and sustainable knowledge economy and will develop the region’s capacity for innovation, creativity and enterprise. The scheme will create a true centre of distinction by providing fit-for-purpose facilities, including specialist laboratories, for a range of disciplines and sectors.
In addition to providing these state of the art facilities, the science park’s close links with the region’s universities and business networks will facilitate the commercialisation of intellectual property and help to cultivate advances within the knowledge sector to increase Birmingham’s national and international competitiveness.
A dynamic environment will be created at the science park for technology companies across a range of disciplines, allowing them to create synergy with specialist research and commercial services to support and grow their businesses. Birmingham’s strengths in modelling, prototyping and manufacturing, coupled with its other support industries, will provide an ideal setting for companies to do business.
The flagship scheme at Pebble Mill will be enriched by the close proximity of a cluster of academic and research institutes including University Hospital Birmingham’s £559 million ‘Super Hospital’; the University of Birmingham School of Medicine; The Henry Wellcome Building for Biomolecular Nuclear Magnetic Resonance; Aston Academy of Life Sciences and the proposed Institute of Translational Medicine.
The unprecedented investment in life sciences within the city’s central core will help to attract and retain top quality research and development teams to Birmingham. In addition, the University of Birmingham, internationally respected for its medical, engineering, biosciences and cancer studies, and Aston University, renowned for its health and technology research are both situated near to the scheme. The proximity of world-class graduates and researchers will provide science park businesses with a catchment of experienced talent.
The University Science Park, Pebble Mill will be pivotal to the region’s economic development and wealth creation strategies and will have a significant impact on the regeneration of Birmingham. By providing key specialist infrastructure for the knowledge-economy, the city’s new sustainable skills base will create an estimated 2,600 high-value specialist jobs on site and 2,000 supporting jobs in the local economy.
David Povall, Commercial Director at Calthorpe Estates commented, “Our vision for the University Science Park, Pebble Mill is to create an integrated centre for commercialising scientific research and development which will set the standard internationally. We are confident that there is strong demand within our target markets that will be attracted to this outstanding location and its specialist facilities.
“The scheme will create many new jobs within the region and provide the opportunity to develop new skills and advances in Birmingham’s knowledge economy which will help to reinforce the city’s international appeal.”
Planning permission has been granted and further detailed masterplanning is now underway. Demolition of the site is complete and work on the infrastructure has commenced in preparation for the £90 million development which is scheduled to complete in 2012.