Bruntwood SciTech Completes £3M Refurbishment at Alderley Park and Drives Further Lettings Momentum Across Campus

Bruntwood SciTech, the UK's largest property platform dedicated to growth in the tech, innovation and sciences industries has completed a £3 million refurbishment of the Mereside Atrium at Alderley Park. The completion marks a significant milestone in the campus' ongoing evolution, with the continued investment across Alderley Park already driving strong lettings momentum across several buildings.

The project forms part of Bruntwood SciTech’s ongoing commitment to evolving Alderley Park around the needs of modern science, technology and innovation businesses, principally by creating four new premium office suites within Mereside, each including private terraces overlooking Radnor Mere. Beyond individual suites, the project has significantly upgraded common areas throughout Mereside, with enhanced food and beverage offerings including a new coffee offering, Meeting Ground, based in the Atrium itself. Across the wider campus customers enjoy access to Grantham’s, a deli offering the finest meats, cheese and Italian wines, as well as a new coffee shop, The Sheds, at the old North entrance ticket booth.

As well as the enhanced hospitality offer, new collaboration spaces have been delivered as part of the Atrium works that better support how modern businesses operate. The refurbishment of the atrium and surrounding public realm has also strengthened the campus' ability to host events and facilitate customer collaboration.

At the heart of the transformation is the refurbished atrium, which provides a significantly enhanced arrival experience while creating a new focal point for the Mereside community. The flexible space will support campus-wide events and greater interaction between businesses, while also being available for customers to book for private events. 

Careful consideration has been given to the design which includes extensive biophilic elements incorporated into both interiors; bringing nature inside as a continuation of the Park’s unique location. Throughout all of this, sustainability has also been prioritised, with new, more efficient heating and ventilation systems being put in place to improve environmental performance while also creating a more comfortable setting for customers. 

Together, the improvements create a more engaging working environment where businesses can connect with one another, host their own teams, as well as access the amenities and shared spaces increasingly important to attracting and retaining talent. 

Investment into the Park’s workspace and amenity offer is already translating into lettings momentum. Across Mereside and surrounding campus buildings, new customer arrivals and expansions totalling nearly 19,000 sq ft demonstrate sustained market appetite for space at Alderley Park. The lettings activity spans both new arrivals and existing occupier expansion, reflecting the breadth of appeal the refurbished campus now offers. 

The latest activity also includes clinical-stage biotechnology company Redx Pharma taking 4,000 sq ft of workspace at Alderley Park as it prepares for its proposed merger with US-based, Nasdaq-listed Skye Bioscience. The transaction is expected to create Fibrx Therapeutics, backed by approximately $125 million in committed financing to advance its pipeline of innovative treatments for fibrotic diseases. While the move represents a smaller workspace footprint for Redx, the combined business plans to retain its headquarters at Alderley Park, reinforcing the campus’ continued importance as a base for internationally ambitious life sciences companies and its role in retaining specialist scientific expertise in the UK.

Alongside Redx’s recommitment, a number of other businesses are announcing that they’ll be joining the Alderley Park ecosystem. Biostatistical clinical research organisation Plus Projects will be taking 1,500 sq ft; specialist property finance broker Word on the Street Group has taken 1,000 sq ft, while technology solutions provider Chess ICT have taken over 4,000 sq ft.

Also among the latest new arrivals is marketing growth agency Childsey, which has taken 620 sq ft as it continues to support ambitious businesses with strategy, digital marketing, web development and creative services. It is looking to the strong talent pool that Alderley Park provides access to support its current phase of business growth. 

A number of other existing customers are also renewing their commitment to remaining at Alderley Park. Phastar, a specialist biometrics and data science contract research organisation supporting pharmaceutical, biotech and medical device companies, has retained 1,500 sq ft of high quality office space as it moves to a more flexible working model.. 

Equally significant is expansion activity among existing customers such as CMAP who provide specialist software to professional services firms and medical communications experts, Helios. CMAP is taking its total space to 2,500 sq ft.  Meanwhile, Helios now occupies 4,300 sq ft at Alderley Park.

The new customers will have access to a substantial innovation ecosystem, including routes into partnerships with Manchester Universities and Manchester NHS Foundation Trust, as well as Bruntwood SciTech’s community of over 1,450 like-minded businesses investing in growth and innovation across the country. For life sciences businesses, particularly those engaged in research-led development, access to university collaboration, clinical expertise and research infrastructure directly impacts competitive capability. Across all of the life science businesses at Alderley Park, £433 million in funding has been raised over the past three years, supporting nearly 1,000 jobs.

In recent years, Alderley Park has rapidly evolved into a pioneering innovation  hub in the North West, home to over 250 businesses across life sciences, biotech, gaming, beauty tech, professional services and related sectors, across 1 million sq ft of high specification office and lab space. The £3m refurbishment complements Alderley Park’s existing features including 400 acres of parkland, premium on-site gym, fitness centre, padel courts and extensive walking and cycling trails that create a working environment that supports employee wellbeing while helping businesses attract the talent they need to scale. 

Later in November, the Park will also be welcoming a new coffee shop, which will be taking over the former North entrance security hut. Specialty coffee experts, The Sheds, who already have a popular site in Tarporley, will be operating the shop.  The new arrival follows on from the recent opening of The Elm at Alderley Park, a new events and conference centre located opposite Mereside, which provides 6,000 sq ft of event and meeting space operated by Fork & Field Catering. The campus also now boasts a significant public hospitality offer with The Churchill Tree pub and local fine food and wine store Grantham’s which also recently opened its premium deli, coffee shop and private dining experience on-site earlier this year.

Mark Julian, Associate Director at Bruntwood SciTech - a joint venture between Bruntwood, L&G and Greater Manchester Pension Fund-  said: “The North West has built one of the UK’s most compelling business ecosystems, with world-class research, scientific expertise, a deep pool of talent and ambitious businesses from a wide range of sectors all within close reach. Alderley Park has a critically important role within that landscape, giving companies from across the region’s business landscape the environments they need to scale while keeping them connected to a wider network of investors, innovators, universities and hospitals across the region.

“But what increasingly matters to scaling businesses is that they’re not put in a position where they have to choose between specialist facilities and being part of a thriving community. The investment in Mereside delivers on a philosophy that is all about offering and strengthening both. We’re creating better spaces for people to meet, collaborate and build relationships, alongside the high-quality workspace needed to attract the best talent and enable businesses to thrive. Seeing new companies choose Alderley Park while existing customers expand here is a strong indication that this combination is resonating.”

Grace Ingham Head of People at ChessICT said:   “Expanding our presence at Alderley Park is an important next step for Chess ICT, giving us the space and flexibility to support our continued growth. Being based here means we're part of a community of businesses across science, technology and innovation, creating opportunities to build connections and collaborate with other organisations.

“The recent improvements to Mereside, particularly the shared spaces and amenities, will make it easier for our teams to connect and provide a more welcoming environment for visiting clients. Having access to high-quality workspace that can accommodate our changing needs is important as we continue to develop the business, and Alderley Park gives us the flexibility to do that.”