Stephen Wilkinson, President of the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI), championed the value of collaboration, during his visit to the site of the Quadram Institute (QI), a new world-leading research facility for biosciences located on Norwich Research Park, an international centre of excellence in life and environmental sciences

Stephen saw how construction of the new facility is progressing ahead of its opening in mid-2018.

I was impressed by the work of the local planning teams to support the development of the Norwich Research Park through master planning. The Park is a high-quality environment for important growth sectors in the economy. The Quadram building is an exemplar of high quality design which integrates the needs of patient care with clinical research. – Stephen Wilkinson, President of the Royal Town Planning Institute

Stephen followed his visit to QI with a trip to Centrum, the award-winning hub building for Norwich Research Park.  The Park has an annual research spend of over £100m, and is home to more than 75 businesses and 12,000 people including 3,000 researchers and clinicians.

Stephen heard from Norwich Research Park Chief Executive Dr Sally Ann Forsyth about the Park and its role as a preeminent centre for bioscience as well as an exemplar work-place for co-operation and creativity.

Dr Sally Ann Forsyth said:

“Norwich Research Park was delighted to host the RTPI President’s visit.  It is an exciting time for the Park with the opening of a new research and development facility – Leaf Expression Systems –  earlier this year and the new Quadram Institute which will open its doors next year.”

Norwich was the first stop on Stephen’s two-day visit to Norfolk. The visit included:

• A walking tour considering the regeneration at New Mills in the historic core of Norwich.
• A riverboat tour focusing on projects associated to the River Wensum Strategy.
• A reception for RTPI Members and Young Planners hosted by the Broads Authority and Lanpro Services.

The second day took Stephen to Great Yarmouth, where the day included:

• A walking tour to view projects related to the Town Centre Masterplan.
• A visit to the Great Yarmouth Outer Harbour.
• A presentation and visit to the Beacon Park Enterprise Zone.

The RTPI represents over 24,000 members worldwide and shapes planning policy, raises professional standards and are the only body in the UK to confer Chartered status to planners, the highest professional qualification.