Planning officers at Oxford City Council have recommended for approval the Oxford Trust’s proposed expansion of a lab facility at the Wood Centre for Innovation in Headington.
The development – the Aspen building – will provide 12,926 sq ft of flexible CL II laboratory and 4,899 sq ft of office space alongside a new STEM resources and preparation room. The building will target BREEAM Excellent and will have photovoltaic roof panels, a green wall, bicycle parking and shower and locker facilities. The developer is also looking to enhance the surrounding 15 acres of woodlands, ponds and grassland.
Plans for the extension were lodged with the council in July this year. Wood Centre for Innovation was opened in 2019 and is home to the trust’s headquarters, totalling 14,961 sq ft of workspace across two floors. The facility adjoins the trust’s Science Oxford Centre, which is the first indoor-outdoor hands-on science education centre for primary school-aged children in the UK.
