Oxford Science Park could accommodate new train station

The 165,000sq ft development at Oxford Science Park in Littlemore will provide space for new businesses and for existing ones to expand.

The complex has also been designed to facilitate access to the planned new railway station due to be built as part of the reopening of the Cowley branch line in 2022.

The station will lead directly onto large open plaza, and the new development will also have a central plaza.

Both Network Rail and Chiltern Railways were consulted on the plans.

Science park managers submitted a planning application to Oxford City Council this month, and hope to start construction in the second quarter of next year.

Building work is set to be complete by the end of 2021.

The park says the development will be 'the largest speculative commercial workspace commitment Oxford has seen in a generation'.

Chief executive Piers Scrimshaw-Wright said: "As the UK’s science & technology sectors continue to thrive - as they certainly are in Oxford - it is essential that we create significant capacity for growing businesses on the park and cater for new entrants, including potential inward investment.

"Our plans are a catalyst for the re-opening of the Cowley branch line, which is an important infrastructure initiative that key Oxford city stakeholders will want to see delivered."

Oxford Science Park is owned and managed by Magdalen College.