More than 150 jobs will be brought to the Didcot area if new buildings on an employment park are approved.

County councillor Jane Hanna praised the scheme after EMS Physio in the nearby town of Wantage announced it would be closing in the new year after 100 years in business. 

Applicant Harwell Science and Innovation has now applied for two linked buildings, green space and car parking on land south of Curie Avenue at Harwell Campus near Didcot.  

Mrs Hanna said: “This is great news for people in the area. It's really good to hear that this will create so many new jobs, especially in light of the recent closure of the EMS Physio in Wantage.”

According to the planning documents, the scheme will create 154 jobs. 

No public comments in support or objections have been submitted to Vale of White Horse District Council. 

READ MORE: Sadness at Oxfordshire global manufacturing business closure

Harwell Campus CGI (Image: Vale of White Horse District Council) In the scheme's planning statement, it said: "The council accepts that Harwell Campus is identified as a key component of it’s employment growth strategy. Therefore the delivery of a substantial amount of employment floorspace must be attributed very significant weight. 

"It is also acknowledged that the application accords with the local plan spatial strategy in that it proposes to bring forward employment development on a strategic employment allocation. 

"Additionally, this statement and the technical reports demonstrate that the proposal is in accordance with the development plan, in all other respects, and would deliver substantial benefits."

It added: “It is acknowledged that the delivery of an employment scheme on the site will result in some landscape and visual change.

"However, this change is significantly mitigated through the provision of a comprehensive landscaping scheme, which incorporates new trees to bolster the structure tree belt to the west in accordance with the Campus Framework Masterplan. 

“The application would result in the loss of trees on the site, and it is acknowledged that this will result in change to the appearance of the site.

"However, a large proportion of these trees are pioneer species having rejuvenated since the original buildings on the site were demolished.

"This has resulted in a population of trees with little to no arboriculture merit.

"The scheme retains the most significant trees around the perimeter of the site, which provide considerable visual containment. The application will bolster these areas with considerable new tree planting.”

Harwell Campus, located about five miles southwest of Didcot and 16 miles south of Oxford, is a globally renowned UK Science and Technology Campus.

It currently houses around 7,000 research and support staff, spread across 250 organisations and benefits from more than £3bn of science infrastructure, including the UK’s national synchrotron facility the Diamond Light Source and ISIS Neutron facility.

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About the author  

Toby is a senior reporter who has a particular interest in covering planning and local government. 

He joined in September 2024 having been a reporter at the Hampshire Chronicle for three years. 

Toby studied at the University of Brighton and can be found on X through the handle @JournoToby