Camden News: pathogens, Somers Town

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Camden News - by PAUL KEILTHY
Published: 24 April 2008

Library lab could carry out deadly research – professor

TOWN Hall planning officials and the Health and Safety Executive could decide on whether deadly pathogens will be researched in the new superlab being built in Somers Town, one of the project’s leaders said yesterday (Wednesday).
As the New Journal revealed last year, the government has given its blessing to a £500 million UK Centre for Medical Research and Innovation behind the British Library, despite the hopes of the council and many residents for affordable housing.
Scientists who research cancer, flu and malaria in the highest security conditions in the UK – known as Category 4 – will move their work into the new lab by 2013.
Professor Malcolm Grant, head of University College London, one of the four partners behind the lab plans, dismissed reports of a danger to residents.
He said: “No decision has yet been taken as to whether it would be a Category 4 facility. But I have to say there are several in London already, and it’s conceivable that you could put one here. It’s incumbent upon us if we bring Category 4 facilities to demonstrate in the planning application why [bio-security measures] will be foolproof.”
Any high-security lab would be subject to Health and Safety Executive inspections, he said.
The consortium has held three meet-and-greet sessions this week with Somers Town residents to inform them of the plans.
Somers Town People’s Forum chairman Dave Hoefling said: “They are not looking at climbing down on the planning permission and it is clear that there isn’t going to be housing.”

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