Edinburgh Napier to push button on £3m R&D centre

Edinburgh Napier University has selected a site on the western fringes of the capital for a new £3 million research and development centre.
By The Newsroom
Published 14th Dec 2016, 10:37 BST
Updated 14th Dec 2016, 14:17 BST

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7Hills Business Park is a joint venture between Citivale, the property development and asset management company, and developer Peveril Securities. Picture: Contributed7Hills Business Park is a joint venture between Citivale, the property development and asset management company, and developer Peveril Securities. Picture: Contributed
7Hills Business Park is a joint venture between Citivale, the property development and asset management company, and developer Peveril Securities. Picture: Contributed

The university is taking almost 18,000 square feet of land at the 7Hills business park, a joint venture development between Peveril Securities and Leeds-based property development and asset management company Citivale.

The venture bought the site, which is located on Bankhead Crossway South, close to the city by-pass, earlier this year. It already comprises just over 40,000 sq ft of modern industrial and hybrid unit space, but its owners plan to build a further 82,000 sq ft of multi-let industrial units on the park.

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The university is paying £8 per sq ft for its new research centre on a ten-year lease. It is due to open in April and will focus on construction innovation, wood science and off-site construction. The investment builds on the recent Queen’s Anniversary Prize for the university’s award-winning applied research into sustainable construction and timber technologies.

Professor Andrea Nolan, vice-chancellor of Edinburgh Napier, said: "This new research facility demonstrates our commitment to the forestry and construction sectors and will build on our excellent industry linkages and international research partnerships."

James Appleton-Metcalfe, managing director of Citivale, said: "Named after the seven hills that surround Edinburgh, 7Hills is a superbly well-located business park with huge potential.

"The decision by Edinburgh Napier University to locate its pioneering £3m low carbon construction research and development facility here is a resounding endorsement of 7Hills and confirms the demand in the Edinburgh city region for top quality business space."

Chris Kirkland of Peveril Securities added: "This is our third investment in Edinburgh. We have completed St Andrew Square in a joint venture with Standard Life and we have planning approval for a mixed-use hotel and student accommodation development at King's Stables Road."

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