The Crown Estate has unveiled plans to create a £4.5bn science and technology district at Harwell East in Oxfordshire after snapping up the 221-acre site next to the world-famous Harwell Science and Innovation Campus.

The vast expansion will deliver up to 4.5 million sq ft of new lab, office and advanced manufacturing space, alongside 400 homes, forming one of the UK’s biggest ever purpose-built research and innovation hubs.

When fully developed, Harwell East is expected to contribute £2.5bn to the economy and support around 30,000 jobs – cementing the site’s position at the heart of the Oxford-Cambridge Arc’s science corridor.

The acquisition is part of The Crown Estate’s long-term plan to invest £1.5bn in the UK’s fast-growing science, innovation and technology sectors over the next 15 years.

Chief executive Dan Labbad said the aim was to create the space for great science to flourish and ensure the UK remained at the forefront of global innovation.

Planning work is being led by Crucible, founded by former Harwell Campus director Angus Horner, who originally conceived the Harwell East vision.

The scheme follows a string of science-led Crown Estate initiatives at Cambridge Business Park, Oxford city centre, and Lendlease’s Euston site in London.