Willmott Dixon completes £60m Greenheys life sciences hub

By Adrian NorthPublished On: July 31st, 2026Categories: News, Top Stories

Willmott Dixon has completed the £60 million Greenheys development at Manchester Science Park, delivering a new purpose-built life sciences facility that will become the headquarters of UK Biobank.

The 131,000 sq ft laboratory and workspace building was handed over to developer Bruntwood SciTech on time and on budget. Located within Manchester’s Oxford Road Corridor, the facility has been designed to support research-intensive organisations working across life sciences, biotechnology and advanced diagnostics.

Greenheys provides flexible Containment Level 2 (CL2) laboratory space, incorporating specialist air handling systems, local exhaust ventilation, fume extraction, secure access controls and dedicated areas for handling clinical waste and chemical storage.

The development also includes meeting rooms, breakout areas, a café, gym, cycle storage and changing facilities.

The fully electric building has been designed to achieve a BREEAM Excellent rating and features what is described as Manchester city centre’s largest living wall, comprising around 160,000 plants across 1,700 square metres.

Anthony Dillon, Managing Director for Willmott Dixon in the North, said: “Greenheys is one of the most technically demanding buildings we have delivered in the North West.

“Containment Level 2 laboratories carry exacting standards for air handling, extraction, security and servicing, and every one of those systems had to be right before a single sample could be processed here.

Handing the building over on time and on budget is a credit to the team and to Bruntwood SciTech as a client that knew precisely what the science required.

“We also set out to make sure the investment stayed in the region. Alongside our supply chain partners, 99% of the total project spend went to businesses within 40 miles of the site.

“Buildings like Greenheys, and schemes such as Stockport Interchange, show what construction can do for a local economy as well as for a client.”

UK Biobank to relocate research operations to new Manchester headquarters

Greenheys will become the new headquarters for UK Biobank, which is preparing to transfer 11 million biological samples from its existing Stockport facility while relocating around half of its 400-strong workforce.

The move has been supported through infrastructure funding from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).

According to Manchester City Council, Manchester Science Park contributes around £3 billion in gross value added annually and forms part of one of Europe’s largest clinical and academic campuses.

Sam Darby, Development Director at Bruntwood SciTech, said: “Manchester and the wider North West stands at the crossroads of a significant opportunity for economic development.

“The huge potential of the region’s innovation sector hinges on the development of the networks and spaces that ambitious businesses need to grow. Greenheys is part of our response to that need.

“The building has been created for ambitious, research-led organisations that need high-quality lab space, access to exceptional talent and direct connections into a world-class research, clinical and academic ecosystem. Reaching this milestone brings us an important step closer to welcoming UK Biobank to its new headquarters.”

Professor Sir Rory Collins, Chief Executive and Principal Investigator of UK Biobank, added: “The completion of our Manchester home marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter for UK Biobank.

“Our dedicated lab team will soon be able to process millions of samples from our generous participants four times faster than before, accelerating the pace of health research.

Being located alongside the University and a thriving life sciences community will also create new opportunities for collaboration and partnership, while providing a modern, purpose-built working environment for colleagues. With thanks to UKRI’s transformative funding, I’m eager to see what discoveries our new home will help unlock.”

Regional supply chain benefits from £60m construction project

Willmott Dixon said 99% of the project’s total spend was retained within 40 miles of the site through its regional supply chain.

The project also created 21 new jobs, delivered 1,126 weeks of apprenticeship training and 101 weeks of work placements, while almost £30,000 was donated to community projects. Design and technical partners included Manchester-based BDP and Deloitte, alongside Cheshire-based I Want Plants, which delivered the living wall.

Greenheys adds to Willmott Dixon’s portfolio of North West projects, including Stockport Interchange, Rochdale Riverside, Upperbanks, Station Gardens in Rochdale, The Mosslands School in Wallasey and Pendle Police Station in Lancashire.

The development was delivered by Willmott Dixon for Bruntwood SciTech, a joint venture between Bruntwood, L&G and the Greater Manchester Pension Fund.