Kier's work to support the development of the new H50 high containment building at the UK Health Security Campus in Harlow has restarted, following the reactivation of its Pre-Construction Services Agreement with the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).
The new facility, known as H50, will provide laboratories for Containment Level 3 (CL3) and Containment Level 4 (CL4) pathogens, supporting the UK’s ability to protect the country from the most dangerous infectious disease threats.
As part of the 2025 Spending Review, ministers took the strategic decision to move UK Health Security Agency’s specialist scientific facilities from Porton Down, Colindale and its London corporate headquarters onto one site at Harlow by 2038, with £3.52bn of funding announced for the programme.
The wider programme is expected to see early works begin from 2028, with main construction works starting in the fourth quarter of 2029 and the UK Health Security Campus (UKHSC) complete and in service by 2038.
The campus will provide modern and resilient facilities, helping to ensure the continuity of UKHSA’s critical scientific and health security services, strengthen emergency preparedness and national resilience, and improve collaboration and productivity.
The reinstatement reflects Kier’s experience in delivering complex, highly regulated environments, bringing together its construction, engineering and MEP services expertise to support customers from concept through to operation.
Spencer Baber, managing director for Kier Strategic Projects said:
We’re proud to continue our work with UKHSA on a programme that will play a vital role in protecting the country from the most serious public health threats.H50 is a highly complex facility and, as a key delivery partner to Government, this is exactly the type of project where Kier’s breadth of experience and expertise comes to the fore - supporting the development of world-class scientific facilities that will help strengthen the UK’s future health security.
The programme is central to UKHSA’s long-term transformation, enabling it to modernise its estate, safeguard essential capabilities, build resilience and bring teams together more effectively on a single campus.
Martin Sellar, Director and UK Health Security Campus SRO at UKHSA, said:
This brand-new facility will bring together UKHSA’s world-leading public health science and emergency response capabilities, putting us in a stronger position to protect the public and keep people safe. We’re looking forward to working alongside a range of specialist partners to deliver this vital programme, which will help us offer the best possible protection for people’s health for generations to come.