Kent Science Park

Kent Science Park is a 507,000 sq ft campus style science park offering a range of business accommodation such as highly specified wet laboratories, offices, technology units, glass houses and industrial buildings aimed at scientific research, technology, environmental, engineering, ICT and wider knowledge sectors.

Kent Science Park has been developed out of the former Shell Agro-Chemical research and development facility which opened on the site in 1945. Shell vacated the site in 1996. When the current owners purchased the site five years ago, the site was renamed Kent Science Park. Kent Science Park is currently managed by LaSalle Investment Management - the leading science park property management company in the UK.

Kent Science Park likes to work closely with occupiers to make the most of their time located on site.  The Park offers flexible lease terms including tenant break clauses, staged rents and specialist fit out.

We facilitate business networking events, seminars, university links, links to specialist advisors and we help in the promotion of tenants where appropriate.

Kent Science Park is home to a specialist Enterprise Hub which helps in business planning, marketing, IP, financing and mentoring.

Training facilities and the on site Kent Science Resource Centre deliver a range of skills training from short courses to a two year foundation degree course managed by Mid Kent College and University of Kent.

A range of benefits such as beautifully maintained grounds, leisure facilities and a lovely cafe and shop, help companies attract top quality employees.

We are one of the few Science Parks in the country who will design and build specialist premises, such as laboratories or pilot scale production facilities, to occupiers requirements including fitting out.

A combination of excellent facilities, high security and competitive rents make the business case to locate at Kent Science Park hard to ignore.

There are an exciting range of businesses located at Kent Science Park operating in R&D, manufacture or services. The following list describes some of the sectors:

Pharmaceutical

Biotechnology

Bio-fuel

Medical Technologies

Stem Cell

High-Tech Engineering

Software and ICT infrastructure firms.

Controls Engineering

Environmental Technologies

Marketing and Creative Services

Video and Film Production

Market Research and Data Processing

Call Handling

DNA Extraction

Public Sector Services

Education and Training

Absolutely not. In actual fact, we have a very strict policy that forbids such testing, though none of our current occupiers have any interest in that particular research methodology at our site. 

Connectivity and business broadband is second to none in Kent. We are uniquely fortunate in having two main fibre routes from London to mainland Europe pass close by and so along with SOTA Solutions, we have invested in becoming an Ethernet Point of Presence giving tenants unrivalled broadband speeds and almost unlimited bandwidth connectivity to the rest of the UK.

Not necessarily - we try to judge each new occupier at Kent Science Park on the merits of the business and the potential for growth NOT how long the organisation has been established.

The nearest International Airport of significance is Gatwick which is about 60 minutes by car. Heathrow is within 90 minutes drive and Stanstead is approximately 90 minutes away.

By train to Europe, both Ebbsfleet International and Ashford International are within 45 minutes drive.

The ports of Dover and Channel Tunnel are also less than 60 minutes drive.

Sufficient parking is available at Kent Science Park. However, we do encourage car sharing and use of public transport for environmental reasons.

Please see information on our liftshare scheme at www.ksp-liftshare.com

Kent offers a number of benefits to employees, with a beautiful landscape, good shopping and leisure facilities, easy access to London and to Europe and significant activity in the area from both large and small technology companies. It is both an attractive area to live for new employees moving in and offers a large pool of qualified staff already.

Not only is the environment within and around the site very attractive but the facilities available to employees are comprehensive. The site offers a cafe & shop plus separate Woodstock Sports and Social Club, a fitness centre with sauna and solarium, hard tennis courts, football pitches and most importantly an indoor heated swimming pool. Existing employees value the 24 hour security, fencing and CCTV which help make the site one of the safest working environments.

Sittingbourne has a girls and boys grammar school, excellent private schools and a mix of housing that meets all budgets and tastes - from town centre living to country life!

Houses prices in North Kent around Kent Science Park are amongst the most reasonable of any location this close to London. The variety of property suits every taste and budget. From new build town centre living to historic country houses that nestle in the beautiful Kent countryside, are all within ten minutes of Kent Science Park.

Kent Science Park is very keen to see that Swale and Sittingbourne benefit from the high quality employment opportunities an expansion of the Park could encourage.

We have submitted a major planning application to Swale Borough Council, which would see a further £25m invested over the next five years.

The most significant element of the proposed investment is the extension of the Park by four hectares, from its current 22 hectares, to enable it to accommodate growing tenants and new companies within 129,000ft2 (12,000m2) of new commercial space. The proposed extension is to the south of the existing boundary towards the M2 and is consistent with the Swale Local Plan, which positively encourages short term and long term expansion beyond the existing security fence.

We have also submitted a detailed planning application with Swale Borough Council to build 3,436m2 (36,969ft2) of specialist commercial space for new technology tenants, as well as enabling the expansion of existing science-based businesses on site.

These proposals signal our commitment to being well-placed for the economic upturn by providing effective accommodation for new high-tech, engineering, ICT and environmental based technology companies.”

The proposed new buildings, one of 2,437m2 (26,222ft2) and a further one of about 999m2 (10,747ft2) will cost in the region of £2.75m to construct and be located within the existing security fence. Designed as single storey buildings, the new Units will match the design and function of the first phase of Tech Units, which were completed in April 2008.

An application for the Tech Units lodged last year was rejected on highway grounds against the advice of Kent Highway Services, the highway authority. Since then, the managers of the Park have undertaken further traffic surveys and launched a series of initiatives to ensure that its tenants, their employees and visitors are considerate to local residents and other road users while driving to and from the Park.

Contained within the application are traffic measures on Ruins Barn Road, which include moving the 30mph zone 50 metres south of its current position and the construction a gateway feature to show road users that they are entering a residential area. These measures will be reinforced by the installation of an interactive 30mph speed sign. Kerb adjustments and revised road markings at the junction of Tunstall Road and Cromers Road will slow traffic and improve safety for pedestrians.

Many of our tenants continue to ask for additional space on site. The fact that we are able to make it happen for them means we will retain the jobs in Swale.

Some of the land near to Kent Science Park is presently in agricultural use, but of course the main site has been established as a commercial centre for over 50 years, so re-development here would be in tune with the aims off the Government's Thames Gateway and general planning objectives. A new commercial development will be a key catalyst in driving the local economy in the future and will form an important aspect of the overall regeneration of the Thames Gateway having the potential to link this special development area to deprived parts of East Kent. Kent Science Park is keen to play a key role in driving the economic prosperity of the region. Any development undertaken however will be sustainable and sensitive to the natural context.

To date, we have successfully marketed our facilities to potential occupiers independently of an agent.

We have however recently engaged with Jones Lang LaSalle to market a very high specification building, comprising of 55,000 sq ft of space, aimed at international life science companies wanting a European Headquarters.

For further information, please contact Paul Price, Marketing Director, Kent Science Park on 01795 411 500.

We have been letting continuously since the park was established in its present form in 1996.

Confidence at the Park remains high. During 2008, Kent Science Park let space to 12 companies, of which 10 are science and technology-based, with the two other companies exploiting the Park’s Point of Ethernet presence and unlimited connectivity to the Internet. As a result, the total space let during 2008 is 50,117ft2, which is more than double the space let during 2007 (24,315ft2).

Kent Science Park is a unique and prestigious business location that is very competitively priced and we are confident that we will continue to grow. In fact, LaSalle Investment Management have proposals to extend the Park and invest over £25m in the next five years, subject to planning permission.

The Enterprise Hub has been established to assist technology-based entrepreneurs to commercialise their innovations. Whether this be a new start-up, university spin-out, or an existing organisation needing help to develop a new product, or diversify, the Enterprise Hub is there to help advise on business planning, IP, marketing, financing and mentoring.

Enterprise Hubs are key components of SEEDA's regional economic strategy, which aims to stimulate business growth and job creation across the South East.

The Research Centre is, in itself a centre of Innovation and a Business Incubator, and Sittingbourne Enterprise Hub offers an ongoing programme of support for local companies throughout their life cycle, including clinics with Partner Banks, law firms and computing firms. The Enterprise Hub offers businesses flexible terms on specialist premises with better access to knowledge, investment and mutual support.

The Centre is affiliated to the University of Kent at Canterbury and Greenwich University. Other local partners include Pfizer Ltd, Cazenove Fund Management, Swale Borough Council and Business Link Kent.