The Role of the Built Environment in Delivering Scientific Breakthroughs

Matt Lee, Carter Jonas’ Head of Science and Technology and Caroline Penn-Smith, Planning Partner in Carter Jonas’ Birmingham office meet on Teams to discuss Carter Jonas’ work at Culham Science Centre, Oxfordshire. But while Teams facilitates much of our pan-office collaboration, our conversation confirms that buildings remain crucial to scientific advances.  

Part of Matt’s role is to identify appropriate locations for new science and technology facilities and as such his work includes science and technology campuses such as Culham, where some of the most innovative technologies are being developed.  

Caroline explains, “The UK was a leader in the fields of science and technology for many years, but we have experienced decades of low funding for necessary development in subjects such as nuclear research.  

“Despite that, we have some of the best academic institutions for science and technology; Covid and the drive for clean energy appears to have created a realisation that we need to encourage more innovation. In Oxfordshire specifically, UKAEA, Tokamak Energy, and First Light Fusion have all been active in nuclear fusion technology.”  

Matt adds, “In January the Government produced a white paper Advanced Nuclear Technologies, which reconfirmed its commitment to advanced nuclear technologies and international collaboration. There is no doubt that the cost of fuel and a need for both greater energy security and more sustainable energy have played a role in bringing forward this policy change, and Carter Jonas is proud to be playing a role in unlocking opportunities for innovation.”  

Culham Science Centre was recently the location of a significant breakthrough in nuclear technology, when the Joint European Torus (JET) laboratory exceeded its own world record for the amount of energy extracted by squeezing together two forms of hydrogen. The experiment produced 59 megajoules of energy over five seconds (11 megawatts of power) – more than double what was achieved in similar tests previously. While only enough to boil 60 kettles, this advance is significant because it validates the case for a bigger fusion reactor.  

 
Culham Science Centre is also the location in which Carter Jonas has recently secured planning consent for a multi-million pound Fusion Demonstration Plant on behalf of UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) and General Fusion. General Fusion is a Canadian based company responsible for developing a fusion power device based on Magnetized Target Fusion (MTF) technology. As Matt explains, “This form of fusion uses the process that powers the sun to create carbon-free, safe and abundant electricity.  

“The Fusion Demonstration Plant is a critical step towards achieving commercial fusion power. The new facility seeks to demonstrate that fusion conditions can be practically achieved using MTF technology. The planning consent includes a test machine at 70% of full power plant scale to enable the testing and refinement of fusion technology through ongoing research and development based on actual performance. This testing and research intends to pave the way for the company’s future commercial power plant.”  

Carter Jonas’ Oxford team, specifically Steven Sensecall, Peter Canavan and Katherine Jones, have worked for Culham Science Centre over many years and secured the release of the site from the Green Belt and its allocation in South Oxfordshire District Council’s Local Plan as a strategic employment site. This planning policy framework has established the platform for further ground-breaking science and technology related development at Culham, such as this facility.  

Oxfordshire is the home to many scientific ‘firsts’, including pioneering work on the Covid-19 vaccine. In fact, Carter Jonas was instrumental in gaining planning consent for the accelerated construction of the Vaccines Manufacturing and Innovation Centre (VMIC) at Harwell Science and Innovation Campus in nearby Didcot, and has recently gained a further planning consent at Harwell, on behalf of Moderna, for a purpose built vaccine manufacturing and R&D facility.  

Culham is not only home to the UKAEA and JET, but also to a two tonne, five metre-long copper centre rod, one of the key components for the Mega Amp Spherical Tokamak (MAST) Upgrade, also the Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production (STEP) Programme and the Fusion Industry Programme. The various fusion programmes are grouped under the umbrella of CCFE (Culham Centre for Fusion Energy).  

The role of the built environment 

As a result of the significant work in these pioneering sectors, science campuses such as Culham and Harwell are defined as innovation ‘clusters,’ As Matt explains: “Innovation clusters are the dynamic, high-tech components of larger regional communities which are based on sector commonalities and use similar technologies. 


Science campuses offer the necessary infrastructure for the creation of unique opportunities in science and technology, including specialist facilities and opportunities to collaborate. Science parks invariably look to build around a cluster, usually one provided by a leading university or other collaboration/research opportunities such as an NHS health trust. In so doing, they attract the best talent available and, importantly, help in retaining that talent, which is vital to innovation. Clusters can be seen as an ecosystem for national and international projects, one which can extend the lifecycle of these projects through the development of ideas and retention of talent.  

“On a more practical level, science parks provide the opportunity for the necessary technologies which cannot be created in a city centre: in this case, large units containing reactors, which meet the requirements for high levels of power, very specific climate control and the storing of heavy machinery. Fusion power requires the technology to reach to 1m degrees Celsius and the security in which to do it.”  

The work taking place at Culham today might not power our energy systems for many years, but it is an important part of a long-term plan which will significantly benefit future prosperity.  


And with both an increased political focus on nuclear power, and the increased funding to support it, there is significant potential not just for Oxfordshire but for other cities in the vicinity of universities with nuclear research teams, including Cambridge, Manchester, London and Bristol. As the role of specialist clusters such as Culham shows, physical location is imperative to scientific success.  

For further advice contact Matt Lee by emailing Matt.Lee@carterjonas.co.uk.