The rationale for life sciences at Canary Wharf: Real Asset Insight CEO interview

The amenities available in mixed-use urban settings will pull life sciences companies into cities according to Canary Wharf Group CEO Shobi Khan.

Canary Wharf Group announced earlier this year that it is to develop a new life sciences quarter at the eponymous London docklands development. The plan has already apparently been endorsed by Genomics England which plans to move to the Canary Wharf estate before the first lab-enabled building has been constructed

“Businesses that are looking to grow and have a great collaborative environment can be here and with the connectivity with the Elizabeth Line opening, which will be right next to this site we feel we’ve got a great location for companies to consider in order to start our cluster,” he told Real Asset Insight’s Richard Betts.

“You’ve seen the success that’s happened in the US with Boston, San Francisco and San Diego,” he said. “Companies that are in this space are going to recruit great talent and that great talent not only wants to do great research but they want to be where they can have amenities and a good quality of life, housing, green space for well-being.

“You’re going to see that in London in a much bigger way,” he said.

Click on the video, listen to the podcast below or read the full interview in the July/August edition of Real Asset Insight.