£250m Melbourn Science Park Vision Unveiled as Bruntwood SciTech Submits Planning Application

£250m Melbourn Science Park vision including village green for local residents unveiled with full set of artist’s impressions for future site as Bruntwood SciTech submits planning application to help supercharge Cambridgeshire’s life science and tech capacity

• Plans include a co-working hub with shared events space, gastropub and boutique hotel, village green, extensive landscaping and improved transport provision

• £250 million masterplan spanning 390,000 sq ft to include six new builds, three redevelopments and a village green

• New world class office and lab workspace will be offered for approximately 75 life science and tech businesses of all sizes

• The Park will be 100% electric, and benefit from an up to 30% increase in biodiversity net gain, supported by an additional 275 trees being planted to create an ongoing legacy to the already established trees

The UK’s leading property provider to the science and technology sector, Bruntwood SciTech, a Joint Venture partnership between Bruntwood and Legal & General, is scaling their support for the wider Cambridgeshire region as demand for specialist lab and office space soars, by investing over £250 million into a ten year masterplan to redevelop Melbourn Science Park and to include a village green for the local community to share.

Designed by architects Sheppard Robson, plans have been submitted to create 390,000 sq ft of world class laboratory and office workspace for approximately 75 life science and tech businesses, including new coworking space for startup businesses, along with improvements to the facilities and amenities on the campus for both businesses based there and the local Melbourn community.

Following a 12 month Planning Performance Agreement with the Greater Cambridgeshire Planning Department and three public consultations, Bruntwood SciTech has revealed its vision and new artist’s impressions of the proposed masterplan, which will bolster Melbourn Science Park’s existing reputation within the world-renowned Cambridgeshire life science and tech cluster. Featuring biophilic, sustainable and wellbeing-orientated flexible design, the proposals include refurbishments of three existing buildings alongside six new builds which will offer coworking, leased, and managed lab and office space to accommodate the region’s burgeoning life science and tech sector from startups through to international R&D centres of excellence. A new event space is proposed as well as all buildings including new breakout space, showers, lockers and sports kit drying rooms. Transport provision will be improved with a mobility hub featuring a large secure cycle store with repair and maintenance stations, cycle hire, and a car park with electric vehicle charging points. A new 18 bedroom hotel and a gastro pub are also planned.

All developments within the masterplan are targeted to be net zero carbon in construction and operation following a transformation project that will retain as much of the existing fabric of the Park’s buildings as possible. 3,450 tonnes of embodied carbon, the amount of carbon emitted during construction, will be saved by linking the heating and cooling network between the buildings in a state of the art 4th generation heat network connected to all electric air source heat pumps. The Park will be 100% electric, targeting EPC A Ratings across its buildings, and 600m2 of solar panels will be installed across the Park’s roof space. Blue-green roofs will be installed on five of the new buildings, with an approximate size of almost 10 olympic-sized swimming pools, to ensure water drainage is sustainable and to support the campus’ biodiversity.

Further improvements will see an increase of up to 30% in the Park’s biodiversity net gain, supported by an additional 275 trees being planted to form woodland and extended green areas. Natural habitats will be nurtured with bird and bat boxes incorporated into buildings and plant species incorporated into the landscape that promote pollinators, foraging and overall habitat diversity.

Following public consultation, Bruntwood SciTech has ensured that the plans will open up the Park to benefit the local community through the creation of a new Village Green leading through to the gastro pub and hotel. The improved accessibility features proposed will see new connected walking routes created through the Park’s landscaping, including a ‘leisure loop’ with trees and wetlands.

Jamie Clyde, Director, Southern Region and Innovation Services at Bruntwood SciTech, said:

“Our major investment into Melbourn Science Park reaffirms our long term commitment to support the growth of Cambridgeshire's life science and tech cluster, connecting businesses to our UK network of over 500 existing sector specialist companies of all sizes.

“We are building on the Park’s proud history as a centre for scientific innovation. Our vision for the campus is to be a world class and globally recognised hub where research, commercialisation and corporate innovation come together to improve human lives and healthcare. It will be a unique place to innovate, collaborate, grow businesses and socialise while promoting inclusivity and wellbeing for those who work on the campus and the wider local community."

The masterplan’s first phase of redevelopment is anticipated to begin in winter 2023 and reach completion in spring 2026.

Bruntwood SciTech’s industry-leading design team for Melbourn Science Park includes Sheppard Robson Architects and Planit-IE (Landscape Architects), Savills (Planning Consultants), AKT II (Structural and Civil Engineers), Ramboll UK (MEP and Sustainability Consultants), Gleeds (Quantity Surveyors), and Vectos (Transport Consultants) supported by an extended design team.