Westcott Venture Park breaks ground on £16m expansion

Construction is underway at Westcott Venture Park in Oxfordshire on a flagship £16 million development.

The scheme, spanning 65,455 sq ft, will provide facilities for space research and advanced manufacturing and testing, as well as shared workspaces, office units, a conference centre and a cafe.

A collaborative bid from URA Thrusters and Buckinghamshire Enterprise Zone, Buckinghamshire Council and Skyports Drone Services was also able to secure a £5.9 million boost from the UK Space Agency towards the development.

Dr Paul Bate, chief executive of the UK Space Agency, added: “Westcott Venture Park is a hotbed of innovation in areas such as space propulsion.

“It’s exciting to see the space cluster there continue to grow.

“Enhancing the facilities on site will help attract new talent to the sector and support important research, manufacturing and testing activities while catalysing more investment into the region.”

Detailed consent has been granted for the first two phases, with the project due to complete in Summer 2025.

Outline consent is agreed for phase three, comprising 30,000 sq ft of modern industrial units, which will be coming to market in the fourth quarter of 2025.

Westcott owners PATRIZIA Hanover Property Unit Trust have agreed pre-lets on phase one with URA Thrusters, which will take 10,000 sq ft, and Westcott Shared Facilities, which will take 5,000 sq ft.

Another 5,000 sq ft industrial unit will be available to rent.

Phase two will introduce The Skylark, a communal centre with cafe, catering facility, auditorium and coworking spaces – named in honour of the motors in Britain’s first rocket, developed at Westcott in the 1950s.

Construction is set to incorporate carbon-efficient materials such as cedar cladder and recycled steel.

Max Pearson, associate director at PATRIZIA, added: “This development is the largest in Westcott’s history and will establish the park as one of the most supportive and adaptable environments for businesses to thrive.

“The Skylark facility is poised to revolutionise the working environment at Westcott, significantly boosting its attractiveness as a prime location for prospective tenants.

“It will also enable the Westcott Space Cluster to make substantial contributions to the advancement of space research, manufacturing and testing.”