Kier wins £20m Newcastle Laboratory

Kier has been appointed to build a new laboratory in the Newcastle Science Central development, where the brown ale used to be made.The £20m project, due for completion in late 2018, will see the design and construction of a new 77,000 sq ft laboratory facility for Newcastle City Council and forms part of the wider Newcastle Science Central development in the city.When complete in late 2018, the Newcastle Laboratory will provide space for businesses in the life science and healthcare sector.Newcastle Laboratory is being funded by local and central government, as well as the European Regional Development Fund as part of the European Structural & Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020.Newcastle Science Central is a new quarter in the centre of Newcastle that will provide 46,000 square metres of office space. It is a £250m project bringing together academia, the public sector, business and industry to create a centre for urban innovation. The site was originally the Elswick Colliery, then later the production centre for Newcastle Brown Ale.