Greater Cambridge Local Plan Preferred Options

On behalf of our client, Cambridge Innovation Parks Ltd (CIPL), we write in response to the Greater Cambridge Local Plan Regulation 18 public consultation.
We have reviewed the draft Plan and supporting documentation and set out our comments below.

Cambridge Innovation Parks Ltd

CIPL is a locally based developer and investor who provides premium serviced office space alongside additional amenities to create an ideal environment for nurturing high-tech companies from their very inception through to the point at which they need to start scaling up and beyond.

CIPL seeks to achieve the highest standards of sustainable development and strives to positively influence and accelerate sustainable change in the wider environments and communities in which it lives and works.

CIPL owns sites to the north, south and west of Cambridge. The intention is to create some of the first fully and truly sustainable campuses, focusing not just on construction and operation but also including leading environmentally friendly approaches such as carbon off-setting. In December 2020, CIPL submitted a hybrid application (ref: 20/05253/FUL) for the first of these schemes, which involves the expansion of an existing business park close to Waterbeach Barracks, into a sustainable innovation park, known as Cambridge Innovation Park North (CIPN). In July 2021, South Cambridgeshire District Council (SCDC) Planning Committee resolved to grant planning permission, subject to a S106 Agreement, which is in its final stages of negotiation.

Cambridge Innovation Park West

CIPL has interests in land to the east and west of Cambourne, in between the A428 and St Neots Road. An indicative location plan is included at Appendix A of the proposed allocation and a further smaller plot detailed in Appendix B which lies adjacent to the proposed allocation. CIPL is currently preparing proposals to create its second highly environmentally sustainable business park which will bring numerous high-skilled jobs to the local area, supporting the local economy. It will be known as Cambridge Innovation Park West (CIPW). Both plots of land are available for the use.
CIPL is therefore wholly supportive of proposed employment allocation ref: S/RRA/SNR (Land to the north of St Neots Road, Dry Drayton), which proposes to allocate the 4.6ha site for the following employment uses:

• E(g)(i) Offices to carry out any operational or administrative functions;

• E(g)(ii) Research and development of products or processes; and

• E(g)(iii) Industrial processes

CIPL would however request that the allocation boundary be expanded to also include for the additional land (Appendix B) which can provide for development and other associated use and mitigation.
CIPL operates within and is fully aligned with the principles of the Oxford-Cambridge Arc – a Government initiative that aims to promote and accelerate the development of a unique set of educational, research and business assets and activities, to create an arc of innovation and entrepreneurial activity that will, in time, be ‘best in class'.

Whilst CIPL are supportive of the proposed allocation, they are also keen to seek the nearby smaller plot as detailed in Appendix B also be included as part of the proposed allocation as it is also available, suitable, achievable in the short term and would help provide more employment land and fully capitalise on the sustainable location.

The CIPW site will be the flagship campus adopting an all-encompassing approach to sustainability targeting established forward-thinking companies who share CIPL’s sustainability and wellness values. The intention is to deliver an exemplar site built to zero carbon standards bringing together tenants who share their values and creating a community nurtured by their surroundings.

Deliverability

CIPL is in early discussions with South Cambridgeshire District Council regarding its plans to develop the site into a sustainable innovation park, with the intention to submit a planning application in late 2022. Construction will begin on site soon after permission is granted, meaning that the site will be in use ahead of the intended start date of 2025 for the construction of the Bedford to Cambridge section of the EWR.

In accordance with the definition contained at Annex 2 of the NPPF, the site is deliverable as it is: a) available; b) suitable; and c) achievable:

Availability

As stated, CIPL has interests in the proposed allocation site and additional land which is available now for development, subject to planning. CIPL intends to submit a planning application in late 2022 with the view to construction commencing immediately after the grant of consent. As such, the site is considered deliverable in the short-term (i.e. the next 5 years).

Suitability

The sites are in a highly sustainable location, situated adjacent to a junction of the A428 - the main easterly route into and out of Cambridge, with links to the A14 and the M11.

CIPL has engaged with the consultation for the construction of the Bedford to Cambridge section of the EWR and supports the emerging preferred options for the new rail link (Route Alignment 1 and Route Alignment 9) which will connect communities between Oxford and Cambridge – a project which can bring significant economic benefits to the wider area and increase public transport connectivity to rural areas of Cambridge.

Furthermore, the sites lie adjacent to the aspirational route of the proposed automated busway which will further connect the site with the Cambridge area and introduce another sustainable mode of transport on offer.

This increased connectivity, coupled with the sites being located immediately adjacent to a junction of the A428 will ensure that the sites area highly accessible and well-connected employment campus which can harness a substantial workforce in the Cambridge area.

Achievability

Technical work is underway to inform the scheme design and forthcoming planning application. There are no known constraints that cannot be mitigated or would prevent a scheme coming forward in the short-term.

The sites are therefore clearly and demonstrably deliverable in the short-term and its proposed allocation (and expanded allocation) is therefore justified and should be carried forward through to adoption.

CIPL also supports emerging strategic policies S/JH (new jobs and homes), J/NE (new employment) and J/EP (supporting a range of facilities in employment parks), which the CIPW proposals would directly respond to. Indeed, substantial planned housing growth will generate additional employment land requirements. Furthermore, CIPW would contribute to the spatial distribution of employment land – providing significant and high-quality floorspace and shared campus-style facilities in a predominantly rural, yet sustainable location.

Next steps

CIPL is wholly supportive of proposed allocation ref: S/RRA/SNR and request that it be expanded to include the additional land. They are also supportive of the emerging direction of the Greater Cambridge Local Plan. CIPL is keen to work closely with the joint councils during the plan preparation phase and in the pre-application discussions for the CIPW proposals.

Please can you therefore ensure we are kept up to date on plan progress and please do not hesitate to contact me, should you require any further information about the site.

On behalf of our client, Cambridge Innovation Parks Ltd (CIPL), we write in response to the Greater Cambridge Local Plan Regulation 18 public consultation.
We have reviewed the draft Plan and supporting documentation and set out our comments below.

Cambridge Innovation Parks Ltd

CIPL is a locally based developer and investor who provides premium serviced office space alongside additional amenities to create an ideal environment for nurturing high-tech companies from their very inception through to the point at which they need to start scaling up and beyond.

CIPL seeks to achieve the highest standards of sustainable development and strives to positively influence and accelerate sustainable change in the wider environments and communities in which it lives and works.

CIPL owns sites to the north, south and west of Cambridge. The intention is to create some of the first fully and truly sustainable campuses, focusing not just on construction and operation but also including leading environmentally friendly approaches such as carbon off-setting. In December 2020, CIPL submitted a hybrid application (ref: 20/05253/FUL) for the first of these schemes, which involves the expansion of an existing business park close to Waterbeach Barracks, into a sustainable innovation park, known as Cambridge Innovation Park North (CIPN). In July 2021, South Cambridgeshire District Council (SCDC) Planning Committee resolved to grant planning permission, subject to a S106 Agreement, which is in its final stages of negotiation.

Cambridge Innovation Park West

CIPL has interests in land to the east and west of Cambourne, in between the A428 and St Neots Road. An indicative location plan is included at Appendix A of the proposed allocation and a further smaller plot detailed in Appendix B which lies adjacent to the proposed allocation. CIPL is currently preparing proposals to create its second highly environmentally sustainable business park which will bring numerous high-skilled jobs to the local area, supporting the local economy. It will be known as Cambridge Innovation Park West (CIPW). Both plots of land are available for the use.
CIPL is therefore wholly supportive of proposed employment allocation ref: S/RRA/SNR (Land to the north of St Neots Road, Dry Drayton), which proposes to allocate the 4.6ha site for the following employment uses:

• E(g)(i) Offices to carry out any operational or administrative functions;

• E(g)(ii) Research and development of products or processes; and

• E(g)(iii) Industrial processes

CIPL would however request that the allocation boundary be expanded to also include for the additional land (Appendix B) which can provide for development and other associated use and mitigation.
CIPL operates within and is fully aligned with the principles of the Oxford-Cambridge Arc – a Government initiative that aims to promote and accelerate the development of a unique set of educational, research and business assets and activities, to create an arc of innovation and entrepreneurial activity that will, in time, be ‘best in class'.

Whilst CIPL are supportive of the proposed allocation, they are also keen to seek the nearby smaller plot as detailed in Appendix B also be included as part of the proposed allocation as it is also available, suitable, achievable in the short term and would help provide more employment land and fully capitalise on the sustainable location.

The CIPW site will be the flagship campus adopting an all-encompassing approach to sustainability targeting established forward-thinking companies who share CIPL’s sustainability and wellness values. The intention is to deliver an exemplar site built to zero carbon standards bringing together tenants who share their values and creating a community nurtured by their surroundings.

Deliverability

CIPL is in early discussions with South Cambridgeshire District Council regarding its plans to develop the site into a sustainable innovation park, with the intention to submit a planning application in late 2022. Construction will begin on site soon after permission is granted, meaning that the site will be in use ahead of the intended start date of 2025 for the construction of the Bedford to Cambridge section of the EWR.

In accordance with the definition contained at Annex 2 of the NPPF, the site is deliverable as it is: a) available; b) suitable; and c) achievable:

Availability

As stated, CIPL has interests in the proposed allocation site and additional land which is available now for development, subject to planning. CIPL intends to submit a planning application in late 2022 with the view to construction commencing immediately after the grant of consent. As such, the site is considered deliverable in the short-term (i.e. the next 5 years).

Suitability

The sites are in a highly sustainable location, situated adjacent to a junction of the A428 - the main easterly route into and out of Cambridge, with links to the A14 and the M11.

CIPL has engaged with the consultation for the construction of the Bedford to Cambridge section of the EWR and supports the emerging preferred options for the new rail link (Route Alignment 1 and Route Alignment 9) which will connect communities between Oxford and Cambridge – a project which can bring significant economic benefits to the wider area and increase public transport connectivity to rural areas of Cambridge.

Furthermore, the sites lie adjacent to the aspirational route of the proposed automated busway which will further connect the site with the Cambridge area and introduce another sustainable mode of transport on offer.

This increased connectivity, coupled with the sites being located immediately adjacent to a junction of the A428 will ensure that the sites area highly accessible and well-connected employment campus which can harness a substantial workforce in the Cambridge area.

Achievability

Technical work is underway to inform the scheme design and forthcoming planning application. There are no known constraints that cannot be mitigated or would prevent a scheme coming forward in the short-term.

The sites are therefore clearly and demonstrably deliverable in the short-term and its proposed allocation (and expanded allocation) is therefore justified and should be carried forward through to adoption.

CIPL also supports emerging strategic policies S/JH (new jobs and homes), J/NE (new employment) and J/EP (supporting a range of facilities in employment parks), which the CIPW proposals would directly respond to. Indeed, substantial planned housing growth will generate additional employment land requirements. Furthermore, CIPW would contribute to the spatial distribution of employment land – providing significant and high-quality floorspace and shared campus-style facilities in a predominantly rural, yet sustainable location.

Next steps

CIPL is wholly supportive of proposed allocation ref: S/RRA/SNR and request that it be expanded to include the additional land. They are also supportive of the emerging direction of the Greater Cambridge Local Plan. CIPL is keen to work closely with the joint councils during the plan preparation phase and in the pre-application discussions for the CIPW proposals.

Please can you therefore ensure we are kept up to date on plan progress and please do not hesitate to contact me, should you require any further information about the site.

On behalf of our client, Cambridge Innovation Parks Ltd (CIPL), we write in response to the Greater Cambridge Local Plan Regulation 18 public consultation.
We have reviewed the draft Plan and supporting documentation and set out our comments below.

Cambridge Innovation Parks Ltd

CIPL is a locally based developer and investor who provides premium serviced office space alongside additional amenities to create an ideal environment for nurturing high-tech companies from their very inception through to the point at which they need to start scaling up and beyond.

CIPL seeks to achieve the highest standards of sustainable development and strives to positively influence and accelerate sustainable change in the wider environments and communities in which it lives and works.

CIPL owns sites to the north, south and west of Cambridge. The intention is to create some of the first fully and truly sustainable campuses, focusing not just on construction and operation but also including leading environmentally friendly approaches such as carbon off-setting. In December 2020, CIPL submitted a hybrid application (ref: 20/05253/FUL) for the first of these schemes, which involves the expansion of an existing business park close to Waterbeach Barracks, into a sustainable innovation park, known as Cambridge Innovation Park North (CIPN). In July 2021, South Cambridgeshire District Council (SCDC) Planning Committee resolved to grant planning permission, subject to a S106 Agreement, which is in its final stages of negotiation.

Cambridge Innovation Park West

CIPL has interests in land to the east and west of Cambourne, in between the A428 and St Neots Road. An indicative location plan is included at Appendix A of the proposed allocation and a further smaller plot detailed in Appendix B which lies adjacent to the proposed allocation. CIPL is currently preparing proposals to create its second highly environmentally sustainable business park which will bring numerous high-skilled jobs to the local area, supporting the local economy. It will be known as Cambridge Innovation Park West (CIPW). Both plots of land are available for the use.
CIPL is therefore wholly supportive of proposed employment allocation ref: S/RRA/SNR (Land to the north of St Neots Road, Dry Drayton), which proposes to allocate the 4.6ha site for the following employment uses:

• E(g)(i) Offices to carry out any operational or administrative functions;

• E(g)(ii) Research and development of products or processes; and

• E(g)(iii) Industrial processes

CIPL would however request that the allocation boundary be expanded to also include for the additional land (Appendix B) which can provide for development and other associated use and mitigation.
CIPL operates within and is fully aligned with the principles of the Oxford-Cambridge Arc – a Government initiative that aims to promote and accelerate the development of a unique set of educational, research and business assets and activities, to create an arc of innovation and entrepreneurial activity that will, in time, be ‘best in class'.

Whilst CIPL are supportive of the proposed allocation, they are also keen to seek the nearby smaller plot as detailed in Appendix B also be included as part of the proposed allocation as it is also available, suitable, achievable in the short term and would help provide more employment land and fully capitalise on the sustainable location.

The CIPW site will be the flagship campus adopting an all-encompassing approach to sustainability targeting established forward-thinking companies who share CIPL’s sustainability and wellness values. The intention is to deliver an exemplar site built to zero carbon standards bringing together tenants who share their values and creating a community nurtured by their surroundings.

Deliverability

CIPL is in early discussions with South Cambridgeshire District Council regarding its plans to develop the site into a sustainable innovation park, with the intention to submit a planning application in late 2022. Construction will begin on site soon after permission is granted, meaning that the site will be in use ahead of the intended start date of 2025 for the construction of the Bedford to Cambridge section of the EWR.

In accordance with the definition contained at Annex 2 of the NPPF, the site is deliverable as it is: a) available; b) suitable; and c) achievable:

Availability

As stated, CIPL has interests in the proposed allocation site and additional land which is available now for development, subject to planning. CIPL intends to submit a planning application in late 2022 with the view to construction commencing immediately after the grant of consent. As such, the site is considered deliverable in the short-term (i.e. the next 5 years).

Suitability

The sites are in a highly sustainable location, situated adjacent to a junction of the A428 - the main easterly route into and out of Cambridge, with links to the A14 and the M11.

CIPL has engaged with the consultation for the construction of the Bedford to Cambridge section of the EWR and supports the emerging preferred options for the new rail link (Route Alignment 1 and Route Alignment 9) which will connect communities between Oxford and Cambridge – a project which can bring significant economic benefits to the wider area and increase public transport connectivity to rural areas of Cambridge.

Furthermore, the sites lie adjacent to the aspirational route of the proposed automated busway which will further connect the site with the Cambridge area and introduce another sustainable mode of transport on offer.

This increased connectivity, coupled with the sites being located immediately adjacent to a junction of the A428 will ensure that the sites area highly accessible and well-connected employment campus which can harness a substantial workforce in the Cambridge area.

Achievability

Technical work is underway to inform the scheme design and forthcoming planning application. There are no known constraints that cannot be mitigated or would prevent a scheme coming forward in the short-term.

The sites are therefore clearly and demonstrably deliverable in the short-term and its proposed allocation (and expanded allocation) is therefore justified and should be carried forward through to adoption.

CIPL also supports emerging strategic policies S/JH (new jobs and homes), J/NE (new employment) and J/EP (supporting a range of facilities in employment parks), which the CIPW proposals would directly respond to. Indeed, substantial planned housing growth will generate additional employment land requirements. Furthermore, CIPW would contribute to the spatial distribution of employment land – providing significant and high-quality floorspace and shared campus-style facilities in a predominantly rural, yet sustainable location.

Next steps

CIPL is wholly supportive of proposed allocation ref: S/RRA/SNR and request that it be expanded to include the additional land. They are also supportive of the emerging direction of the Greater Cambridge Local Plan. CIPL is keen to work closely with the joint councils during the plan preparation phase and in the pre-application discussions for the CIPW proposals.

Please can you therefore ensure we are kept up to date on plan progress and please do not hesitate to contact me, should you require any further information about the site.