Three 1980s office buildings in Cambridge are set to be demolished to make way for new life science laboratories.
Cambridge City Council has approved plans to knock down the office buildings at Brookmount Court, in Kirkwood Road, in order to build a four-storey research and development building.
Councillors unanimously backed the proposals at a planning committee meeting last Wednesday (24 April).
The plans for the redevelopment were put forward by Sackville UK Property Select III (GP) No 3 Ltd.
A representative of the developer told councillors that the new life science building would benefit the city, saying: “It is well documented that the UK has a shortage of laboratory space. Cambridge is no different. Given the lack of equilibrium presently between supply and demand, new laboratories are therefore critical infrastructure for the city’s ecosystem.
“We believe [the development] will positively supplement and enhance the northern cluster, which was started nearly 60 years ago.”
The developer representative also said sustainability had been a “cornerstone” of the building’s design, highlighting the plans for solar panels on the roof, rain water harvesting, and the use of “frugal appliances” to help with water conservation.
Planning officers told the meeting that the existing office buildings were only partially occupied at the moment by a driving test centre.
They said two of the office buildings had been empty since 2018.
Officers said there had been “extensive marketing” of the buildings, but that they had been shown to be “not fit for purpose”.
The committee councillors all voted in favour of approving the planning application.
