The Begbroke Innovation District (BID), planned around the current Begbroke Science Park, and owned by the University of Oxford, will bring new research and community facilities to the north of Oxford.
The district will accommodate not just scientists and entrepreneurs but a whole new community, complete with homes, schools and parks. It is designed to foster innovation and enterprise and provide a model of sustainable living.
The development and ongoing operation of the site is envisioned as a ‘Living Lab’, providing the opportunity to model sustainable practices from energy use to community engagement, and biodiversity to building design.
The BID Master Plan is currently being considered by planners and building has not yet started, but the site is already informing, and being informed by, research and practice.
Anna Strongman, CEO, Oxford University Development said,
“Begbroke is the only university-owned science park in Oxford and provides an excellent opportunity to collaborate with researchers and deliver exemplary new living and working environments.”
One ambitious target for the site is to enhance biodiversity by 20%, despite the change in land-use from agriculture to mixed urban activities. Half the site will become public open space and large areas will be converted to nature reserve, a local food production zone, parks and recreational areas – boosting plant species and wildlife. Funding is now being sought for an ambitious longitudinal study to monitor biodiversity net gain at BID over a thirty-year period, and to establish a multi-disciplinary platform for research into sustainable development at Oxford.
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