£235m advanced materials centre set for green light

A £235m scheme to create a world-leading centre for advanced materials research and commercialisation in Manchester looks set to be given the green light.The University of Manchester’s full planning application to regenerate a 1.4-acre plot off Oxford Road, next to the new £61m National Graphene Institute, is set to go before Manchester City Council’s planning committee. The Sir Henry Royce Institute for Advanced Materials is envisaged as an international flagship project encompassing nine key areas of materials research, including graphene, and focusing on the themes of energy, engineering, functional and soft materials.The ten-storey scheme would feature 172,233 sq ft of educational floorspace within a single building. It would be similar in height to the nearby George Kenyon hall of residence building but substantially longer and wider, ensuring it plays a prominent role within the university campus.Although the planned institute will have its research centre in Manchester, it will be supported by satellite centres comprising the universities of Sheffield, Leeds, Liverpool, Cambridge, Oxford and Imperial College London.Ahead of the committee meeting, a report prepared by planning officers has recommended that the scheme should be approved.The Sir Henry Royce Institute forms part of the university’s £1bn ten-year plan to create a world-class campus for students and staff. Construction of the proposed institute is due to start in May 2017, with a view to being occupied in 2019.The design team working on the scheme includes Arcadis, Laing O’Rourke, NBBJ, Ramboll, Arup and Etude.