Planning permission has been granted for the Moderna Innovation and Technology Centre (MITC) at Harwell Campus near Oxford.
BSP provided transport planning services for the development which will be used by biotechnology company Moderna for a research, development and manufacturing facility, providing the UK public with access to cutting-edge mRNA vaccines for a wide range of respiratory diseases, pending regulatory assessment and licensure.
This is the latest development at the pioneering science, engineering and innovation campus that BSP has been involved in over a period of more than 20 years.
BSP undertook Transport Assessment and Travel Plan work for the Moderna scheme, which is expected to become operational in 2025. The company worked with Oxfordshire County Council and National Highways on the traffic modelling work (using a PARAMICS model) and to agree the appropriate level of mitigation for the scheme, which included both highway improvements and also improvements to sustainable transport.
Long term involvement
BSP director Mark Rayers, who runs the company’s traffic and transportation division, said: “We have had an association with various developments at Harwell for more than 20 years now. It’s exciting to see how the site continues to flourish and be at the forefront of science and engineering innovation.
“The Moderna Innovation and Technology Centre is the latest scheme at Harwell that BSP Consulting has helped to enable with our transport planning expertise.”
As well as the research, development and manufacturing facility, the MITC will also include a clinical biomarker laboratory – a prefabricated modular laboratory constructed in Northumberland which will then be installed on the campus.
Construction will begin this year, with the facility expected to become operational in 2025. The investment will create hundreds of jobs across Oxfordshire and the UK and will cement Harwell Campus as a national health tech hub for the pioneering research and development of mRNA and other nucleic acid therapeutics.
For more information about the Harwell Campus, visit www.harwellcampus.com
