Corridor Manchester appoints msp and Bruntwood to develop the FREH

Corridor Manchester has today announced the appointment of a consortium of Bruntwood and Manchester Science Parks (msp) as the preferred developer and operator for the £21 million scheme to create a new 10,000 sq m centre for the bio-medical sector in the former Manchester Royal Eye Hospital on Oxford Road.

The new development is located on the campus of Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Europe’s largest clinical academic campus. It will provide a unique opportunity to create a centre of international significance for the bio-medical sector with state of the art laboratories and other specialist space.

Jackie Potter, chief executive, Corridor Manchester said:  “This is an exciting signature project for the Corridor partnership.  As well as delivering much needed space for growing companies in the biomedical sector, the building will be a key hub for healthcare related research, education and R&D activity, stimulating the future growth and success of businesses in and around the Corridor.  There was strong interest from a number of developers for this project and I welcome the appointment of Bruntwood and msp after a challenging competition.”

The scheme will see the building refurbished and extended to provide laboratory and business space, with a new glazed atrium providing networking space.  There is already strong interest in pre-lets of the development, which will be completed in summer 2012.  

It is expected the development will create 440 new jobs and will add £60 million per annum to Manchester’s income (GVA).

Mike Deegan, chief executive, the Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said:  “Manchester has incredible expertise and strength within the health sector and the redevelopment of the former Royal Eye Hospital will further add to the market offer of the city region. The inclusion of a ‘hub’ to facilitate networking and innovation will be an exciting dimension of the project”.

Bruntwood and Manchester Science Parks are working towards a full planning application submission in the autumn, they aim to start on site with enabling working this winter with a main start on site in the spring, and completion is expected in summer 2012.

Chris Oglesby, chief executive, Bruntwood said:  “The development of the former Royal Eye Hospital is a great project for Bruntwood. We're looking forward to working with msp and using our development expertise to help the city fulfil its potential.”

The appointment of Bruntwood and Manchester Science Parks is made following a seven month OJEU competitive dialogue managed by Corridor Manchester.  The Northwest Regional Development Agency (NDWA) provided funding to support the development of the proposals and the process to select a private sector partner.

The Royal Eye Hospital site is owned by the Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which is one of the partners of Corridor Manchester, the organisation set up to drive economic growth and regeneration on the Corridor – the Oxford Road area of the City.

www.corridormanchester.com

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Corridor Manchester

Corridor Manchester is the first partnership of its kind in the UK.  It brings together Manchester City Council, the University of Manchester, Manchester Metropolitan University and the Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust to build on the partners’ investments in the 243 hectare area running south from St Peter's Square to Whitworth Park along Oxford Road, Manchester.  The partnership is committed to generating further economic growth and investment in the knowledge economy for the benefit of the city region.

Corridor Manchester aims to increase the number of high value jobs, improve the public realm, retail offer and transport infrastructure; attract innovation and knowledge-based organisations to the area by providing excellent facilities and space; engage local residents and develop the strong cultural offering.

Bio-medical background in the Northwest

England’s North West is one of the UK’s top three biomedical clusters, which includes the biotechnology, pharmaceuticals and healthcare industries. This is founded on a major global pharmaceutical presence – including AstraZeneca’s largest global R&D facility located in Cheshire – a rapidly expanding biotechnology sector, a diverse range of specialist R&D and clinical research facilities, and a strong specialism in translational medicine. The universities of Liverpool and Manchester strength in clinical research give the region world leading assets in biomedical science.

England’s North West has been recognised as a member of the ‘European Super League’ of biotech clusters by Strategem and placed in the top 50 in the world by Boston Consulting. The North West is the UK’s largest producer of pharmaceuticals, with annual exports of around £4.4billion and a positive balance of trade of £2.8billion – the country’s highest.

Bruntwood

Bruntwood is a privately owned property company, established over 30 years ago.  They own and manage over 90 office buildings across Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool and Birmingham.

Bruntwood specialise in providing bespoke office space from one desk for a month through to whole buildings for 25 years.

Over the past 5 years, Bruntwood have been responsible for delivering over 1.5 million sq ft of commercial accommodation.  These schemes have encompassed the full spectrum of development and have focused on the refurbishment and redevelopment of existing buildings. The common factor has been the company’s ability to find modern, innovative solutions to the issues faced and the commitment to deliver a quality product.

Bruntwood believes in sustainable cities that provide vibrant places for people to work and live. Each year invest in the life of the cities they do business in by donating 10% of profits to arts, charitable, civic and environmental causes.

Manchester Science Parks

Manchester Science Park, founded in 1984, is a profitable property investment company that delivers economic outputs by investing its profit in services that promote growth through innovation amongst the knowledge based tenant companies. msp has become recognised as a key contributor to the economic activity of Manchester and an essential player in its future prosperity and its successful business model of a private company with academic, local government and commercial shareholders is admired internationally as one of the few financially sustainable alternatives to public subsidy that delivers economic objectives. msp currently manages 17,000 sq m on its Corridor site and manages under contract a further 19,000 sq m on four sites in Manchester and Salford.

Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is a leading provider of specialist healthcare services in Manchester, treating more than a million patients every year. Its five specialist hospitals (Manchester Royal Infirmary, Saint Mary’s Hospital, Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital Manchester Royal Eye Hospital and the University Dental Hospital of Manchester) are home to hundreds of world class clinicians and academic staff committed to finding patients the best care and treatments.