Housing secretary Michael Gove has called for “immediate collaboration between key stakeholders on development proposals” to accelerate the growth of the Cambridge Biomedical Campus.
Mr Gove said the need to support the Greater Cambridge life sciences sector provides “sufficient justification” for collaboration on development proposals coming forward “ahead of the emerging Local Plan”.
The government announced in March that a new dedicated growth company would be set up and tasked with accelerating development in Cambridge.
The new company will be responsible for leading development through “large-scale land assembly, major infrastructure projects and ensuring maximum recovery including through planning contributions”. Its remit will also include unlocking development that has been held up on sites allocated in the current Local Plan.
It follows a government announcement last year that the Cambridge Delivery Group was being set up to lead the development of the city, led by the chairman of Homes England, Peter Freeman.
In a written statement today (8 May), Mr Gove, the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, said: “Part of the Cambridge Delivery Group’s strategy is to focus on enabling and accelerating key developments that align with the overall strategy for growing the urban area of Cambridge, while ensuring we protect overall green space and that the wider region benefits from improved transport, better access to services and enhanced amenities and employment prospects.
“The Cambridge Biomedical Campus is one such strategic site, as Europe’s leading centre for medical research and health science. At Spring Budget, we announced a £7.2 million investment for locally led transport schemes to provide the Cambridge Biomedical Campus and £3 million to support Cambridge University NHS Trust to develop longer-term capacity and delivery plans for the site.
“In addition, the government is satisfied that the national importance of the Greater Cambridge life sciences sector is sufficient to prompt, in principle, the early expansion and coherent delivery of this foremost UK life sciences cluster.
“In particular, the government is satisfied that the imperative to support this key sector provides sufficient justification for immediate collaboration between key stakeholders on development proposals coming forward ahead of the emerging Local Plan, to address the coherent enhancement, intensification and expansion of the Cambridge Biomedical Campus adjacent to Addenbrooke’s Hospital.
“One of the first priorities of the new growth company will be to support immediate collaboration between key stakeholders at the Cambridge Biomedical Campus.
“The growth company will also help to address any barriers to the early expansion and coherent enhancement of the campus, including through the accelerated delivery of any associated housing development and the provision of appropriate levels of affordable housing to meet the housing needs of those working at the campus.”
