Crown Estate pushes ahead with £2bn Cambridge Science Hub

The Crown Estate has lodged plans for a £2bn overhaul of Cambridge Business Park, paving the way for one of the UK’s biggest science-led regeneration schemes.

The project will create up to 1.8m sq ft of laboratories, offices and R&D space alongside 500 homes in the emerging North East Cambridge Innovation District.

Alongside this, The Crown Estate is investing £1.5m into Greater Cambridge Impact (GCI). This is a £10m investment vehicle focused on tackling some of the region's most pressing social and economic challenges.

The Crown Estate’s investment reflects a shared commitment with GCI to turn economic success into shared prosperity and opportunities for the local community.

Over the next 10 years, GCI will deploy place-based capital into organisations addressing systemic inequality, focused on skills for young people, children in care and homelessness.

The application forms part of The Crown Estate’s wider ambition to invest up to £1.5bn in UK science, innovation and technology.

Transformation

The redevelopment would transform the existing business park into a mixed-use neighbourhood with nearly 60,000 sq ft of shops, cafés, bars and restaurants, new public squares and landscaped green spaces.

Plans also include 40% affordable housing, up to 200 co-living homes, new walking and cycling routes, a guided bus stop and stronger links to Cambridge North station.

Designed by Studio Egret West, the masterplan has been shaped through two years of consultation with local communities and businesses.

Water saving

The scheme targets a 55% cut in water use compared with standard developments, saving an estimated six million litres of water each year.

If approved, the project will become a key piece of the wider North East Cambridge regeneration, linking Cambridge Science Park with the consented Cambridge North developments to create a major new science and innovation cluster.

Kristy Lansdown, Managing Director, Development at The Crown Estate, said: 

“Cambridge plays a critical role in the UK’s innovation economy as one of the world’s leading innovation hubs, with Cambridge Business Park at its heart.

“Our masterplan proposal sets out a bold, long-term plan to support the city’s growth, while delivering market leading environmental and landscape proposals, as well as lasting and inclusive benefits for communities and the wider economy.

“Alongside the long-term transformation that the masterplan proposes, it’s crucial that we start to contribute today to the future of Cambridge. This is why we are committing £1.5 million to Greater Cambridge Impact, supporting impact investment for initiatives that benefit those in the city that need it the most.”