A new Covid vaccine facility is currently being built at Government military science park Porton Down.

In new information obtained by the Journal, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has confirmed that their new “vaccine testing facility” at the site will be used to support the process to grant licences for Covid vaccines and the risk assessment of variants. 

A retrospective planning application for “laboratories and associated facilities” – referred to by the agency as Laboratory Facility 2 – has now been submitted to Wiltshire Council.

However, due to the urgency of the project, building work has already begun.

“This decision needed to be made by the Vaccine Task Force very quickly,” said Cllr Nick Botterill, Cabinet Member for Development Management.

"At present it is not known if the application will go to committee. We are aiming to make a decision on or before April 21 on this development.”

Work at the site began back in June 2021, and the planning application for the facility was submitted retrospectively, within six months of commencing development, to Wiltshire Council in December.

"PHE, now UKSHA, has followed the relevant planning legislation, which enabled it to commence work before submission of the formal application," the councillor added.

“Wiltshire Council has not put a stop to any of the work being carried out, and this application will be treated in the same way as any other application. The application is being made now because the legislation requires an application to be made within six months of the commencement of development."

The agency replaced Public Health England in October as a new agency specifically for dealing with preparing for pandemics.

Wiltshire Council says the agency, then known as Public Health England, wrote to the planning authority in September 2020 with an urgent requirement to start construction to support the Government’s response to the pandemic.

The agency used the Emergency Powers permitted under Class Q, Part 19 of the Town and Country Planning Order 2015, which allows development to take place to help mitigate situations that threaten human welfare.

This is not the first laboratory that has been developed at Porton Down through the emergency powers clause since the start of the pandemic, according to planning documents on the Wiltshire Council website.

Also in new information, the agency confirmed that work on laboratories is currently underway, with construction of the second building due to be completed in early summer. 

The first building has already been completed.

Laboratory Facility 2 is being constructed on a UKHSA car park, and the position cannot be seen from outside the highly-secure Government centre.

Cllr Richard Rogers (Con), who represents Winterslow & Upper Bourne Valley on Wiltshire Council, said that it is “important” to have the “centre of excellence” that is Porton Down in the community.

“I think for something like Covid, which has been affecting everyone in the world, to know that we in Salisbury are playing a part gives an enormous sense of pride,” he said.

“In times of national crisis, we need to do all we can. It is right that we have the emergency powers to switch on for this kind of work. From a personal perspective, getting the country moving is priority number one, and we must do all we can.”

John Glen, MP for Salisbury, added that he is also proud of the work that the site has been a part of during the pandemic: “I am pleased that the Government continues to recognise the value of the biosecure facilities at Porton Down and the depth of the expertise of the scientists who work there.

“Porton made an important contribution to the development of the first vaccines and I am proud that they will play their part in helping to keep the world safer for many years to come.”

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