Hexagon Tower joins science park network

THE 160,000 sq ft Hexagon Tower in north Manchester is now part of a new network of science and technology parks.

It is among a portfolio of six parks assembled by LaSalle Investment Management that will start operating as a single entity – BEST Network (the Business Environments for Science and Technology Network) – linked by shared specialist services and access to nationwide facilities.

Spanning the UK from Edinburgh to the south coast, it combines clusters for high-tech businesses at Edinburgh Technopole, Kent Science Park, Langstone Technology Park in Havant and Wilton Centre in Teesside.

Hexagon Tower is a former ICI research, development and production centre and has serviced offices and laboratory accommodation for scientific and technology-focused businesses.  

The six parks combined accommodate around 250 tenant companies and 7,500 employees. Major occupiers use a range of spaces from wet labs and pilot-scale manufacturing facilities to greenhouses and data centres.

Andrew Bull, European director at LaSalle, said:, “Few businesses work well in isolation. They need support, flexibility and investment from a landlord.

“Inspiration is vital too and that comes from sharing ideas with other like-minded businesses. Make sure those factors are in place and we’ll be able to turn the great ideas coming out of the UK into great businesses.”