Green Light For Bruntwood SciTech’s £250m Melbourn Science Park Masterplan To Support Booming Cambridge Science And Tech Market

The UK’s largest dedicated property platform serving the nation’s innovation economy, Bruntwood SciTech, is scaling its support for the Cambridgeshire life science and tech sector, with plans now approved for up to 390,000 sq ft of specialist lab and office space to be delivered over a number of years. 

The joint venture partnership between Bruntwood, Legal & General and Greater Manchester Pension Fund has created a masterplan to redevelop Melbourn Science Park totalling £250 million, providing space for up to 75 businesses to grow and help supercharge the UK’s science and technology sector, as well as ultimately delivering additional economic return for the local area and region. 

Following the conclusion of the Planning Performance Agreement with the Greater Cambridgeshire Planning Department and three public consultations, Bruntwood SciTech has had approval granted to move ahead with its new vision for the site. 

Featuring biophilic, sustainable and wellbeing-oriented design, the proposals, led by architects Sheppard Robson, include the refurbishment of three existing and construction of six new buildings, which offer co-working, leased and managed lab and office space to accommodate the region’s thriving life science, tech and innovation sector, from startups through to international R&D centres of excellence. The Park also benefits from new breakout spaces to support collaboration, and enhanced wellbeing amenities.

Transport provision is due to be improved with a multi-storey car park including EV charging points, a cycle store with repair and maintenance stations, and cycle hire. A new shuttle bus service is also being considered between the Park and Meldreth station, increasing the variety of transport options available. 

A publicly accessible campus is part of the plans, that opens up Melbourn Science Park to the local communities of Melbourn, Meldreth and Royston villages, including a new Village Green leading through to the gastropub and 18 bedroom boutique hotel. Proposals also include new walking routes through the Park’s landscaping and wetlands, and biodiversity increased by up to 30% with an additional 275 trees planted, and natural habitats nurtured with bird and bat boxes, and large planting areas created that promote pollinators, foraging and overall habitat diversity.

All new buildings within the Park’s masterplan are targeted to be net zero carbon in construction and operation within their communal spaces. Retained buildings will be upgraded to maximise energy efficiency, and as much of their existing fabric will be kept where possible. Carbon emissions will be reduced through an energy efficient heating network that links heating and cooling between buildings and is connected to all-electric air source heat pumps. 

The masterplan transforms the Park into being 100% electric, targets EPC A Ratings across all buildings, and includes 600 sq metres of solar panels. Blue-green roofs will also be installed on five of the new buildings to ensure water drainage is sustainable, supporting the campus’ biodiversity. 

Daron Williams, Building Consultancy Director for Bruntwood SciTech, commented: “Approval of our transformational plans for Melbourn Science Park means we can progress forwards with providing much needed, world-class lab and office space for high-growth science and tech businesses who want to be at the heart of Cambridgeshire’s innovation ecosystem. It is also a sign of our continued commitment to supporting the growth of the life science sector right across the UK, helping businesses to innovate, collaborate, grow, and compete globally. 

“The Park has a long history as a centre for scientific innovation and we are proud to be able to continue and build on this legacy, and also connect startups, scaleups and global businesses who locate here to our UK-wide community of more than 1,100 companies.”

The plans follow Bruntwood SciTech’s announcement in October 2023 of investing £500 million to support the UK’s innovation economy, and welcoming the UK’s largest local authority pension fund, Greater Manchester Pension Fund (GMPF) into the Bruntwood and Legal & General-backed partnership. 

Now the largest dedicated property platform serving the UK’s innovation economy, Bruntwood SciTech aims to create a £5 billion UK-wide portfolio that can support 2,600 high-growth businesses by 2032.

Bruntwood SciTech’s industry-leading design team for Melbourn Science Park includes Sheppard Robson, 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).