The Bee House at Milton Park has marked its fourth anniversary on World Bee Day, celebrating four years of supporting ambitious businesses to start, scale and grow within one of the UK’s leading innovation communities.
Since opening in 2022, the Bee House has become one of Milton Park’s most dynamic workspaces, offering companies the flexibility to grow within a single ecosystem — from co-working and serviced offices through to larger operations across the Park.
Over the past four years, more than 225 companies have been based at the Bee House. Today, the building is home to 91 businesses and operates at 89 per cent occupancy, with companies spanning science, technology, media and professional services sectors.
Current occupiers include Elemica International, Middleton Advisors, Oodle Financial Services, Oxehealth, Smith Robotics and Total Projects.
At the centre of the building is the Hive Café, operated by Pierreponts, which serves breakfasts, hot lunches, salads, baguettes and homemade cakes while also acting as an informal meeting space for occupiers, visitors and the wider Milton Park community. Since 2024, the café has welcomed an average daily footfall of between 400 and 500 people.
The Bee House was created through the transformation of an existing building, combining flexible co-working space, serviced offices and meeting facilities designed to support businesses at every stage of growth.
Demand for collaboration and event space has continued to rise, with meeting room bookings increasing by 52 per cent since 2022. The facilities are regularly used by businesses based within the Bee House, occupiers across Milton Park and organisations visiting Oxfordshire’s innovation cluster.
The Bee House also forms part of Milton Park’s wider business growth ecosystem alongside the Innovation Centre at 99 Park Drive, providing an accessible entry point for companies looking to establish themselves in Oxfordshire while creating a pathway for long-term growth across the Park.
The building reflects Milton Park’s sustainability ambitions through the reuse and refurbishment of a former building previously occupied by RM Technology, a University of Oxford spin-out founded in the 1980s that now employs more than 1,700 people. The building was repositioned through a £12.4 million investment focused on refurbishment rather than new-build development, significantly reducing embodied carbon.
Pollinator-friendly landscaping and biodiverse planting have also been incorporated as part of Milton Park’s commitment to creating a greener environment for businesses and visitors.
The Bee House is managed and operated by Ashdown Phillips & Partners on behalf of Milton Park.
Lorna Wright, flexible workplace manager at Milton Park, said: “The Bee House plays a critical role in how we support business growth at Milton Park. It gives companies a clear starting point, but more importantly, a pathway to scale without needing to leave.
“We’re seeing businesses build traction here and then move into larger space across the Park as they grow. That continuity is a real advantage and a key part of how we support ambitious science, technology, media and innovation companies.”
Sarah Stevens, co-founder and people director at hoomph, which joined the Bee House in 2026, said the business was attracted by the collaborative environment and sense of community within the building.
Mike Pendleton, projects director at Total Projects, one of the Bee House’s original occupiers, described the space as “a perfect balance between professional and welcoming”, adding that the strong community atmosphere has helped encourage collaboration and business growth.
