Railpen is forecast to invest a further £1.5bn in developing real estate to support life sciences in the UK.
And the manager of the £34bn railways pension scheme has appointed Emma Goodford to lead life sciences and innovation leasing across the Oxford-Cambridge growth corridor portfolio.
Goodford, who held the same role during her 35 years working for the property consultant, will play a huge role in the firm’s plans to build a 1.9 million-sq ft ‘innovation cluster’.
This will include sustainable workspaces, laboratories, research facilities and build-to-rent homes. Parks, shops, restaurants, cycle hubs and STEM-focused learning centres will ensure the portfolio meets high environmental, ecological and wellbeing standards.
The latest asset it has added to this portfolio is Mill Yard, a 180,000-sq ft mixed-use campus in the centre of Cambridge.
This is just one of 11 commercial assets in the city, collectively worth £782m.
In Oxford, Railpen has secured clearance to re-develop a business park into a 200,000-sq ft life sciences campus.
Matthew Howard, Railpen’s head of property, said: “Emma’s appointment is a key step in realising our ambition in the Oxford-Cambridge growth corridor, where we are creating a series of best-in-class assets that support the national economic and social growth agendas.
“Emma brings a wealth of experience and, most crucially, an unparalleled focus in her understanding of occupiers that will ensure we create a thriving ecosystem across our assets over the coming years,” he added.
Goodford described Railpen’s vision and ambition as “transformative”, but that requires an elevated and innovative approach to leasing strategy.
“While there will be a tactical focus on individual assets as they are developed, it will be important to take a holistic view of what is being created,” she added. “By doing so, we can accommodate evolving occupier needs and, as the portfolio gains critical mass, establish new benchmarks for experience and quality.
“Having spent so long working in the sector, the time is right for such an approach, and I am very excited to be part of what Railpen is seeking to achieve.”
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