Following a ribbon-cutting ceremony led by local Member of Parliament Olly Glover, Milton Park has officially opened Nebula, a £40 million sustainable R&D development.
The opening event coincided with an announcement from Milton Park that Harley-Davidson would become Nebula’s first occupier, as the global brand gears up to create its UK hub at the Park later this year.
Comprising seven sustainable R&D workspaces totaling nearly 80,000 sq ft, Harley-Davidson’s new hub will cover 8,523 sq ft, bringing UK-based employees of Harley-Davidson and LiveWire to the new space, which will be complete with collaboration spaces and workshop facilities.
As a member of the parliamentary Transport Select Committee and keen cyclist, Olly Glover MP championed the new addition to Milton Park and even took the opportunity to saddle up on one of Harley-Davidson’s latest motorbikes.
Nebula’s launch follows the announcement of a refreshed Local Development Order (LDO) at Milton Park. As the UK’s first data-driven, green-focused planning agreement, the LDO is expected to support thousands of new jobs and permit 4.2m sq ft of development. In the coming years, it will streamline planning decisions for its occupiers to just ten days, bringing forward new flexible laboratories, offices and amenities.
Olly Glover, MP for Didcot and Wantage, said: “It was a pleasure to be invited to open the impressive Nebula building. The building not only looks fantastic, but the low carbon materials and highest possible energy efficiency rating is an excellent example of sustainable construction techniques.
“I welcome Harley-Davidson as the first occupier and look forward to meeting the other research and development businesses who are lucky enough to join them at Nebula on Milton Park.”
Philip Campbell, Commercial Director at MEPC Milton Park, said: “The launch of Nebula is not just a milestone for Milton Park, it’s a real flag in the ground for the Oxford to Cambridge Corridor.
“It is also a signal to the future of R&D spaces, which are built sustainably to champion innovation and progress. The arrival of a world-renowned occupier like Harley-Davidson dovetails into the ambitions for Nebula to become a driving force for cutting-edge developments which support green technologies.
“Delivered through our streamlined ten-day planning LDO, Nebula has been driven by the project team’s collective ambition to create a new R&D development which seamlessly blends design and sustainability, creating an attractive work environment for future occupiers to innovate.”
With construction overseen by Barnwood Limited, Nebula’s project team included: SRA Architects, ASA Landscape Architects, CBRE (leasing agents), Ridge & Partners LLP (BREEAM, cost management, M&E, principal design, project management), Stantec (civil and structural engineering), Mainer Associates (sustainability consultant), William Downie Associates (utilities) and Cundall (carbon consultant).
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