Milton Park's new £40M facility beginning to take shape

Drone footage taken over Milton Park shows the ongoing construction of Nebula.

The footage shows one of the three Nebula building's timber beams have been put in place.

How Nebula will look once complete (Image: Milton Park)

It also shows the scale of the structural frame being built by Barnwood, which features sustainably sourced and recyclable glue-laminated timber beams in place of steel, known as glulam.

Targeting BREEAM ‘Excellent’ and EPC A sustainability standards once finalised, Barnwood and Milton Park are also working together to minimise the scheme’s environmental impact during construction.

Barnwood will intercept and donate surplus wood to RAW Workshop, an Oxford-based social enterprise employing a range of people, many of whom are experiencing mental health issues, addiction and homelessness.

Construction of Nebula at Milton Park (Image: Milton Park)

The surplus will be recycled in RAW’s workshop and through its education programmes, helping to minimise the environmental impact whilst maximising social value.

Once completed, Nebula is set to offer just less than 80,000 sq ft space for science, technology and advanced engineering companies, and across the scheme, the units will range between 6,000 to 30,000 sq ft.

Kathryn Andrew, development manager at MEPC Milton Park, said: "It only felt like yesterday that we were finalising the CGIs of what Nebula would look like, but the fly-through really brings the project to life and showcases the full scale and potential of the development.

Construction of Nebula at Milton Park (Image: Milton Park)

"Once complete, Nebula will offer adaptable research and development space, providing significant flexibility for any future occupier's needs.

"We’re looking forward to sharing more updates in the coming months as the development progresses."

Joint managing director at Barnwood, Dave Piper, said: "It has been incredibly rewarding to utilise innovative and more sustainable materials like glulam on the Nebula project, and see the structures come to life in recent weeks.

Construction of Nebula at Milton Park (Image: Milton Park)

"One of our objectives is to ensure we minimise our environmental impact through the materials we use.

"We're pleased to be working with RAW who will be recycling off-cuts and surplus wood from site.

"We are also progressing new initiatives with MEPC to generate a positive impact from the constriction process and look forward to reporting back soon."

Construction of Nebula at Milton Park (Image: Milton Park)

Science Minister Andrew Griffith added: "This state-of-the-art facility will facilitate those achieving breakthroughs from engineering to life sciences, support skilled jobs here in Oxfordshire, and enhance the UK’s position as a science superpower."

Plans for Nebula were submitted for approval to the Vale of White Horse District Council via the park’s Local Development Order, a 10-day Local Development Order which simplifies the planning process and allows developments to be fast tracked.