Plans to develop a world-leading cancer research hub in south London have taken a major step forward with the completion of the final stage in a £30m land deal.
The London Borough of Sutton has purchased a further 0.38 hectares of NHS land on the site of The London Cancer Hub, a partnership with The Institute of Cancer Research, London, and one of the UK’s most-significant regeneration projects.
Finalising the land deal has paved the way for the local authority to seek a development partner for a £350m life science campus, bringing forward new buildings on the site.
The council invested £2.199m in the final portion of land on the site, taking the total to £30.299m.
The council’s investment in land on The London Cancer Hub campus is another major step in creating a global centre for science innovation, right here in Sutton
Development on the site in Sutton will now accelerate as the partners aim to deliver on their goal of creating the world’s-leading hub for cancer research, education, and enterprise.
The London Cancer Hub aims to be a global centre for cancer innovation, bringing together scientists, doctors, a variety of life science companies, patients and the local community.
It is led by the London Borough of Sutton and The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR), with the support of The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust and The Mayor of London.
The London Borough of Sutton now owns land with the potential to accommodate up to 100,000sq m of new space on the campus.
The aim is for private enterprises to share the site with the ICR and The Royal Marsden, intensifying collaboration with these internationally-renowned organisations.
A tender process will open later this month to secure a development partner to take the lead on masterplanning, raising of development finance, procurement of third-party contractors, and marketing to occupiers.
Once complete, the London Cancer Hub aims to create a vibrant community of scientists, doctors and innovative companies, supported by state-of-the-art research facilities and community amenities including a secondary school.
The initiative is set to create 13,000 jobs and is projected to ultimately contribute £1.2billion to the UK economy each year.
The project will accelerate progress in making the discoveries that will defeat cancer, enabling the ICR and companies on the campus to discover more cancer drugs and, alongside its hospital partner The Royal Marsden, increase the chances they will be successfully developed for patients.
The ICR already discovers more new cancer drugs than any other academic centre in the world.
The London Cancer Hub also demonstrates the UK’s and London’s ambitions to remain a world leader in life sciences after the country leaves the EU, and will play a key role in meeting the ambitions set out in the Government’s life sciences industrial strategy white paper.
Councillor Ruth Dombey, leader of Sutton Council, said: "I’m delighted Sutton Council has now completed the land deals necessary to bring forward a 100,000sq m life science campus.“This investment will support the continuing development of The London Cancer Hub and further collaboration between academic research, treatment and enterprise, creating, in turn, thousands of new jobs.
This investment will support the continuing development of The London Cancer Hub and further collaboration between academic research, treatment and enterprise, creating, in turn, thousands of new jobs
“The council’s investment in land on The London Cancer Hub campus is another major step in creating a global centre for science innovation, right here in Sutton."
Professor Paul Workman, chief executive of The Institute of Cancer Research, London, added: “There has been an explosion in our knowledge of cancer over the last decade and we’re seeing the fruits of that understanding in a succession of exciting new treatments for the disease.
“But there is still much more to do to translate research advances into innovative cancer treatments, and part of the answer is to stimulate intensive collaboration between academia and industry.
“It’s great to have reached such a significant milestone, and I’m now looking forward to bringing in a commercial development partner that shares our ambition to create a truly-world-leading research and enterprise hub.”
Early designs for the development have been drawn up by Haptic Architects and Nordic.
