Located next to St Mary’s Hospital, the 48,000-sq.-m. facility will support clinical trials and house education and engagement spaces to support learning and community access to science.
Plans have been submitted for Paddington Hub, a major new clinical life sciences facility in the central London borough of Westminster. HOK is leading the design of the building, drawing on lessons from its award-winning Francis Crick Institute in nearby King’s Cross.
Developed under a collaboration agreement with St Mary’s Hospital, Paddington Hub is designed to accommodate more than 1,800 clinicians, researchers and support staff in a purpose-built environment that accelerates medical discovery and improves patient outcomes.
Located on the former Imperial College Medical School site, the development will support the full pathway from discovery to patient care, enabling clinical trials, diagnostics and emerging health technologies within one integrated setting.
“Paddington Hub represents a significant investment in Paddington’s future and a once-in-a-generation opportunity to create a world-class clinical life sciences hub next to St Mary’s Hospital,” said David Miller, director at Bartlet Asset Management. “It will drive economic growth, support new jobs and strengthen the UK’s health innovation sector. By bringing researchers, clinicians and patients together, we can accelerate new treatments, improve outcomes and create meaningful opportunities for local people.”
The scheme follows extensive engagement with Westminster City Council, the Greater London Authority, local stakeholders and community groups, including two phases of public review.
Economic and Employment Benefits
Paddington Hub is forecast to deliver major long-term economic benefits for London and the UK, including:
- Up to 1,845 onsite jobs
- Up to 2,350 net additional jobs across London, including supply chain and induced employment
- £238 to £282 million in annual economic activity, equivalent to £2.5 to £3 billion over a decade
- £71 to £117 million in annual tax revenue, rising to £700 million to £1.2 billion over 10 years
The development will help address the acute shortage of high-quality lab-enabled space in London, supporting the growth ambitions outlined in the government’s Life Sciences Sector Plan and the mayor’s London Growth Plan.
Opportunities for Westminster Residents
The development will create new employment and skills pathways for local people, including:
- 100 to 130 direct jobs for Westminster residents
- 50 apprenticeships, placements and early-career opportunities, many accessible without a degree
- Dedicated education and engagement spaces being explored with local schools
- A long-term skills pipeline linked to the Paddington Life Sciences cluster and St Mary’s Hospital
The project will also bring a long-vacant site back into productive use, support the revitalisation of Praed Street and strengthen connections with St Mary’s Hospital.
A New Benchmark for Clinical Research Design
The design is highly flexible, accommodating clinical life science and trials space alongside active uses fronting generous and green improvements to the public realm and connectivity and discrete onsite servicing.
David Weatherhead, design principal at HOK, said: “We have designed a high-quality, sustainable life science building adjacent to St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington for researchers, patients and the public. The facility will provide much-needed specialist space for clinical life sciences. Its adaptable design is intended to be resilient to change, fostering critical breakthroughs by promoting a bench-to-bedside process. Co-locating patients and researchers improves efficiency and refines the clinical trials process. We are delighted this vital building is a step closer to reality.”
Ground-floor spaces are also being explored to support community partnerships, education activities and improved routes between Praed Street, Norfolk Place and the wider hospital estate.
Discover more about the development at paddington-hub.co.uk.
Renderings by Factory Fifteen