Additional employment space at Babraham Research Campus will support the Southern Cambridge Research Cluster and ensure the Councils provide additional space for life science businesses to cluster and grow. This is in direct response to guidance contained within the NPPF regarding the need to plan positively for the location, promotion and expansion of clusters or networks of knowledge driven, create or high technology industries. The Policy also responds to the identified unmet need for additional research and development laboratory space as evidenced in the Council’s Greater Cambridge Employment Land and Economic Development Evidence Study (November 2020).
Babraham Research Campus is fully occupied and continues to experience high demand for space from both existing and prospective occupiers, with demand significantly outstripping supply. However, the rapid success of the Campus has now stalled and this has become a significant barrier to growth. Therefore, a key priority for the Campus is to enhance support to enable companies to continue to start-up, scale-up, grow and be retained in the UK.
Growth at Babraham Research Campus also has the ability to make best use of existing and committed sustainable transport infrastructure. The committed infrastructure proposals being progressed by the Greater Cambridge Partnership (GCP), notably the Cambridge South East Transport Scheme (CSET), will provide significant transport capacity to support the future expansion of Babraham Research Campus.
Policy S/DS is therefore supported.