State-of-the-art building approved for science park

The new building will sit close to The Priory pub building (bottom right) and near to the Kassam Stadium

A state-of-the-art laboratory building will be built at Oxford Science Park after city councillors gave it the go-ahead.

The park secured planning permission for the four-storey building, which will be built close to the closed pub, The Priory, the Ozone Leisure Park and the Kassam Stadium, on Tuesday.

The development will include 168 car parking spaces, electric charging points and just over 100 bike spaces.

Yong Shen, the park's director, said the approval was "fantastic news" and will help it deliver more "world-class facilities in an established setting that promotes collaboration, sustainability and discovery".

The new building will sit on currently undeveloped land between the science park and the neighbouring cinema and bowling rink development.

It will not involve any part of the Ozone Leisure Park, which is itself the subject of a different plan that could lead to its redevelopment.