The site has been developed over several decades, with the majority of buildings being constructed in the 1970s and 1980s. Whilst Melbourn Science Park has been well maintained over the years, much of the site has reached the end of its design life and is no longer suitable for the demands of the Cambridge life sciences market.

In order to ensure the future success of MSP over the long term, and to retain and attract the kinds of businesses that provide high quality employment, with wages to match, we require buildings of a certain size and specification, with exemplary design and environmentally sustainable credentials.

Therefore we are proposing to replace obsolete buildings with new world-class facilities for existing and new businesses, and refurbish those which can still serve a purpose.

Without modernising, we run the risk of a managed decline of Melbourn Science Park. This also fits with the Council’s view that the area should be seeking greater job growth in investment-led, knowledge intensive sectors such as life sciences and technology.

Our multi-disciplinary team of architects, engineers and designers has undertaken a full assessment of Melbourn Science Park’s existing buildings, and whether it is feasible to adapt, extend, refurbish or repurpose them.

Unfortunately, although well maintained, much of the existing building stock is no longer suitable for the demands of the Cambridge life sciences market. Reasons for this include:

• The structure of the existing building does not meet the required standard for high-quality science equipment.
• The buildings do not have the required ceiling height to accommodate the services that life science buildings require.
• The plant equipment (air conditioning/ventilation etc) is no longer fit for purpose and will not meet future energy or sustainable carbon targets.
• The building facades; alongside being architecturally tired, do not meet the standard required for future energy or sustainable carbon targets.

A phased demolition and replacement with new-builds is the only means to provide the high quality and environmentally sustainable space that will secure Melbourn Science Park’s future.

Life science offices and laboratories suitable for businesses of the future are costly to build, and as such, there is a minimum amount of additional space that needs to be provided for proposals to be financially viable. Financial viability has been assessed by commercial property specialists CBRE, whose work demonstrates the costs, rental income and return needed in order for the future Melbourn Science Park to appeal to potential occupiers.

To provide a Park which is financially viable and with buildings suitable to attract science and technology businesses into the future, the workplace buildings are three storeys with set-back rooftop plant enclosures on top which will store important equipment such as air conditioning.

The Mobility Hub is six ‘levels’ (including an open roof for parking as the sixth floor). As the upper levels are for car parking, each level is lower in height than the lab/office building storeys proposed elsewhere on site, because they have a reduced floor to ceiling height. Therefore, approximately 1.5 car park levels equates to around one building storey, which means that although it has six levels the Mobility Hub will appear around the same height proportionally as the surrounding three storey buildings being proposed in the masterplan.

We have sought to work with local residents and have made a number of amendments to the proposed building designs to address concerns raised. We have studied the height and position of the Mobility Hub in detail through a regulatory system called an ‘LVIA Assessment’ or ‘Landscape & Visual Impact Assessment’. This assessment uses computer modelling and photography to produce images from viewpoints agreed with the local planning authority. We use this to confirm that our proposals sit well within the landscape and are not overbearing. A copy of this report was submitted as part of the planning application and is available on the South Cambridgeshire Planning Portal.

As well as this visual impact assessment, we have also commissioned detailed expert reports where necessary to ensure that light pollution, noise and the potential for overlooking are minimised.

Our proposals look to increase floorspace on Melbourn Science Park to 48,300m2 (520,000sqft) from around 19,300m2 (208,000 sqft) currently, however it should be noted that not all of this additional floorspace will be laboratory or office work space. Instead, much of it will be breakout areas, collaborative or shared facilities which are demanded in modern working environments.

We will also be providing a dedicated building (Block A / Ash House) for local business and community services. This could include facilities such as a gym and other health services in the longer term. This is alongside The Moat House Gastropub and Boutique Hotel – offering dining and accommodation to the public alongside users of the Science Park.

We are also providing 22,900m2 (247,000sqft) of space for the Mobility Hub which includes parking consolidated into one location (refer to question 5 for more information on the Mobility Hub).

The Mobility Hub is named this way because it features multi-level parking in the same way as a multi-storey car park, but in addition, it encompasses cycle storage, a cycle rental station, a cycle repair workshop, a shuttle bus stop and electric vehicle charging points. Bruntwood SciTech are keen to help people move away from car use and have implemented similar schemes to this successfully at other sites across the UK.

During our pre-application community and stakeholder consultation, the architectural design of the Mobility Hub has been subject to a number of changes to minimise impacts of the building on residents neighbouring the site. This includes altering the access location, moving the building further away from site boundaries and introducing more landscaping and planting.

It should be noted that while the Mobility Hub has six ‘levels’, the sixth has an open roof. These levels are lower than a traditional building storey, because they have a reduced floor to ceiling height: roughly 1.5 car park levels equate to one building storey, which means the Mobility Hub will appear around the same height proportionally as the surrounding three storey buildings in the masterplan.

Yes, we are increasing them by 203 spaces. 46 of these have already received planning consent but have not yet been built.

Current total spaces on the Park: 775

Total proposed spaces on the redeveloped Park: 978

• The existing 775 spaces are spread across multiple locations so that they resemble a cluster of over 10 ground level car parks.
• We have proposed for these spaces to be replaced by one singular car park as part of The Mobility Hub which is located in a discreet corner to the north of the site.
• The new car park will have 822 parking spaces, including accessible parking bays and 44 bays will provide electric vehicle charging points.
• A limited number of ground level car-parking spaces across the park will remain to facilitate disabled access and visitor parking.
• By relocating the majority of car parking into one place, we can create more green space for community use such as The Village Green – being introduced over what is currently an 80 space car park.
• In the freed ground level parking spaces, Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS) will be introduced, which, alongside the proposed new tree planting, helps increase biodiversity on the site by over 30%.
• We are also proposing 676 cycle spaces. The current site has 116 cycle spaces. By increasing these by 480%, we are enhancing cycle facilities on the site and integrating with the Greenway Cycle Route.  

The planning application includes a detailed Transport Assessment and Travel Plan which will be rigorously assessed by the Cambridgeshire County Highways team.

The Travel Plan encourages site visitors to use ‘active’ travel (cycling and walking) and public transport as alternatives to the car. This includes ensuring ready access to the proposed Melbourn Greenway – the 12 mile route for walking and cycling which will link Melbourn to Foxton, Harston, Hauxton, Trumpington and Cambridge to the north and improves connections to Royston to the south.

Careful consideration has been given to the internal site layout and design to also encourage non-car travel.

We want to promote and encourage usage of Meldreth Station and we are also looking at shuttles, car sharing and use of public transport to facilitate this.

The proposed development is to be accessed from the existing Science Park entrance by Cambridge Road. This is an established access and our Transport Assessment has identified that this junction will continue to operate with minimal queuing and delay should the proposed development be approved and built.

In order to connect the site with the A10 a large scale access road would be required and the impact this would have on the existing open farmland to the north would be substantial with little operational benefit to the site or the surrounding road network.

We want to create a borderless and open park, encouraging people into the park to enjoy the new green spaces being created at The Village Green and beyond. We feel this will create a new and welcoming pedestrian route for users of the Science Park and wider village to enjoy.

We believe that the existing but modern (estimated to be erected in the 1980s) flint fronted wall along Cambridge Road creates an unwelcoming physical barrier to this.

Although we have said that the whole project could take up to 10 years to complete, it is important to stress that this is not continuous construction across the whole site. If planning is approved, we intend for construction work to be undertaken in a localised way of the site and in phases.

Ensuring that existing businesses on the site are able to operate throughout this process is crucial, as is ensuring we are a good neighbour. Bruntwood SciTech are well versed in this, and have a great deal of experience in delivering projects at live sites with complex operational needs.

Before work starts on site a Demolition & Construction Environment Management Plan will be agreed with South Cambridgeshire District Council. We intend to take on board lessons from Project Birchwood within this Plan in order to minimise disruption. This Plan will closely manage all aspects of construction and demolition works – including noise, delivery routes, contractor parking, dust suppression techniques and hours of working.

The outdoor spaces currently at Melbourn Science Park and the Moat House Cafe are already open to the public. We are keen to welcome the community to use Melbourn Science Park more, and are proposing further changes as part of the planning application to improve permeability and public use of the landscape.

We will also be providing a dedicated building (Block A / Ash House) for local business and community services. This could include facilities such as a gym and other health services in the longer term. This is alongside The Moat House Gastropub and Boutique Hotel – offering dining and accommodation to the public alongside users of the Science Park.

It is not our intention to compete with existing local services, instead the new facilities at Melbourn Science Park will be selected to complement those already in the village.

A large number of local people already work at Melbourn Science Park and a wide variety of additional new opportunities are likely to be created. As well as new science and technology jobs, there will be a significant number of roles in management, accounting, marketing, support services and hospitality. We intend to play an active role with both Melbourn Primary School, The College and other neighbouring schools to promote career opportunities in science and technology.

We expect there to be up to 1,150 permanent additional jobs for residents of the South Cambridgeshire District, and up to 2,270 permanent additional jobs for the wider region by 2030. A report by Savills estimates these proposals could add up to £72m annually to the local economy.