Ridge secures planning for major new research facility at Ellison Institute of Technology in Oxford

Image: courtesy of Ridge and Partners

Future Cities Forum is delighted that Guy Wakefield, Partner in the Planning sector at Ridge will be contributing to our 'Science Cities' discussion event at Exeter College's Cohen Quad in Oxford this September.

Guy is a Chartered Town Planner (MRTPI) with more than 20 years’ experience helping clients navigate the planning process.

He specialises in residential, mixed-use and education projects, as well as commercial and rural developments. His work spans individual planning applications through to the strategic promotion of land as part of the development plan process.

The planning team at Ridge and Partners has recently secured a unanimous approval from Oxford City Council’s planning committee for a major new research and development facility on behalf of the Ellison Institute of Technology (EIT), subject to the completion of a Section 106 agreement. The site sits at the edge of the Oxford Science Park on the eastern edge of the city – one of the region’s most significant employment related developments.

Ridge and Partners says:

'The application seeks to extend three existing buildings and connect them with two new link atriums, forming a single, large-scale R&D facility distinct from EIT’s (Ellison Institute of Technology) campus buildings which are currently under construction at Littlemore House and Littlemore Brook. The first atrium will serve as the main entrance, with meeting rooms, seminar space and a café across multiple levels. The second will house stepped terraces for shared workspace and a greenhouse. 

'The scheme builds on a permission granted in 2023 and will provide dedicated transformative workplaces for the Generative Biology Institute and Plant Biology Institute.

'We provided planning consultancy, project management and cost management services to support the application. Guy Wakefield, Planning Partner at Ridge, presented the case alongside Matt Abney, Senior Director of Real Estate and Projects at the Ellison Institute of Technology Oxford, on 23 June.'

This expansion reflects the ambition behind the Ellison Institute's presence in Oxford. It's a scheme that combines world-class research space with genuine benefits for the local economy, and we're pleased to have supported the application through to this stage.” Guy Wakefield - Partner, Planning

Ridge continues:

'Guy also set out the scheme’s economic case, with construction expected to support around 1,900 full-time equivalent roles, rising to over 3,500 once operational. He highlighted the significance of planned food production research, noting that global demand between now and 2050 is expected to exceed output from the last 5,000 years combined.