Oxford Debenhams site transforming into £125m lab space

Oxford City Council has fully approved the plans for 100,000 sq ft of lab space for life sciences, innovation and technology.

After the department store chain went into administration, the three-storey branch on the corner of George Street and Magdalen Street closed early in 2021 and did not reopen after the third Covid lockdown. It has remained boarded up ever since.

READ MORE: Derelict store to get new lease of life

After the council backed The Crown Estate’s plans on Thursday, work will start to transform the building in the first half of 2027, with a targeted completion in 2029.

Anna Railton, deputy leader of Oxford City Council, welcomed the progress.

She said: “I I think most people would be happy to see the buildings being put to good use.

“The majority of people may have preferred to see the building be used for residential or commercial purposes, but this new lab space will bring people into the city centre and create decent jobs. I will welcome the building being used again.”

Oxford city councillor Anna Railton (Image: Oxford Mail)

Last year, contractors BibbEgan Group were stripping out the former retail unit, in preparation to hand it over to The Crown Estate.

1-12 Magdalen Street is being developed as part of The Crown Estate’s partnership with leading science and innovation developer, Pioneer Group, and Oxford Science Enterprises (OSE).

Alongside a range of labs, the building will also feature dedicated conference and events space, including a ‘showcase lab’ in the heart of the development for OSE companies to make science and innovation more visible and accessible to younger audiences.

The partnership is also announcing the development of a STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) outreach programme for younger audiences, working alongside the council to host school groups at the ‘showcase lab’ and help to foster their interests in future science careers.

What the new labs building will look like at the former Debenhams (Image: Perkins & Will)

Kristy Lansdown, managing director for development at The Crown Estate, said: “1-12 Magdalen Street will deliver world class science facilities in the heart of the city – a place with not only a rich cultural history, but one that is entrenched in the history of science and progress.

“Alongside our outstanding partners at Pioneer Group and OSE, we are committed to creating a best-in-class lab space for innovative start-ups and scale-ups that will strengthen Oxford’s appeal to the wider sector and contribute meaningfully to economic growth.”

Harry Pickering, portfolio director and head of UK Real Estate for Pioneer Group, said: “Securing planning permission for 1–12 Magdalen Street is a significant milestone in transforming a prominent Oxford city centre site into a new home for science and innovation.

The former Debenhams in Oxford (Image: Andy Ffrench)

“Together with The Crown Estate and Oxford Science Enterprises, we are creating high-quality laboratory space that will support the next generation of breakthrough companies and strengthen Oxford’s position as one of the world’s leading innovation ecosystems.”

Pete Wilder, head of property and operations at Oxford Science Enterprises, said: “Oxford is one of the world’s leading innovation ecosystems, and with that success comes growing demand for high-quality laboratory space in central, well-connected locations.”

The development of 1-12 Magdalen Street represents an initial investment of £125m from The Crown Estate and is part of the organisation’s commitment to invest £1.5 billion into the science, innovation and technology sectors over the next 15 years.