A COMPANY which helps to make the Oxford AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine has been given permission to build a new lab for its growing workforce.

Oxford Biomedica, a research and development company based at Transport Way near the Mini Plant, wanted to knock down existing buildings on its site and replace them with a futuristic new office and laboratory building.

It was given approval for the plans by Oxford City Council's planning committee this Tuesday (June 15).

During the meeting, Richard Crossman, a senior manager with the company, explained the company needed more space on its site as its workforce had grown from 80 people to more than 700 in the last decade, with a large growth in employment recently due to Biomedica's role in helping to make the Oxford vaccine.

Mr Crossman said: "This facility will enable Oxford Biomedica's critical life sciences work to continue in the region and to attract the best talent to Oxford.

"We need to remain on the site in Oxford through our expansion to be able to endure our work in the vaccine programme and ongoing future research in medicines aimed at life-threatening diseases."

Under the plans, a building called Isis House will be demolished to make way for a larger office and lab space, which will include cycle parking and showers for those cycling to work, as well as electric car charging points.

The new building's roof would include a solar panel array and turf.

Planning committee chair Colin Cook said the plans looked 'like the right sort of building on the right sort of site'.