Carter Jonas seeks consent for Kew Gardens herbarium in Reading

London’s Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew has enlisted the help of property consultancy Carter Jonas as it prepares a planning application for a new Berkshire-based herbarium building.

The new facility would be built at Thames Valley Science Park (TVSP) in Shinfield, just south of Reading, and is intended to maintain and protect Kew’s collection of more than seven million dried plant specimens for future generations.

It would provide space for future growth of the collections and make them available for biodiversity research, with the flexibility to respond to future needs.

The move to TVSP will also enable the redevelopment of the Kew Gardens site for improved and expanded research, education and public engagement facilities.

At an estimated net construction cost of £100 million, the project would be completed in line with Kew’s sustainability strategy to become climate positive by 2030.

Mark Rushworth, project director at Kew, said: “We’re delighted to appoint Carter Jonas to join our project team to deliver our new herbarium at Thames Valley Science Park in Reading, which is promoted by the University of Reading.

“The project is critical to support our mission to understand and protect plants and fungi for the well-being of people and the future of all life on earth.

“We’re very much looking forward to joining the British Museum and the Natural History Museum, who are also located at the site.”

In fact, it was only last month that Wokingham Borough Council gave the green light for the Natural History Museum’s new collections, research and digitisation centre at TVSP.

Read more - Natural History Museum to build collections and research centre in Reading

Kew and the project team expect to submit their planning application this December, which they’re hoping will be approved in May 2025.

In the meantime, they’re liaising with council officers and local stakeholders, and plan to hold a public consultation later in the year.

Carter Jonas’s planning team will work closely alongside architects Clegg Bradley Studios, as well as Gardiner and Theobald, which is responsible for project, cost and construction management.

Nicky Brock, partner on Carter Jonas Oxford’s planning team, added: “We’re extremely pleased to have been appointed by Kew to prepare this planning application.

“The new herbarium project will enable Kew to continue its unparalleled work in botanical research, and importantly, increase accessibility to this wealth of knowledge.

“With the benefit of a comprehensive sustainability strategy, the new facility addresses significant global issues.

“We look forward to a positive resolution.”