Planning for success? ‘Progress being made’ on lab supply in Cambridge as water issues loom

A just-published report commissioned by the Greater Cambridge Shared Planning Service outlines the progress being made on meeting the demand for new lab and office space across Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire - while barely mentioning the water and transport issues that could derail Cambridge’s growth.

The Greater Cambridge Shared Planning Service is a partnership between Cambridge City and South Cambridgeshire District Councils.

The two councils commissioned a report, from Iceni Projects, titled ‘Greater Cambridge Growth Sectors Study: Life science and ICT locational, land and accommodation needs’. The study details the councils’ response to the large number of proposals for laboratory and office space, and the emerging joint Greater Cambridge Local Plan. Its findings respond to previous government concerns about whether there was sufficient supply of new space in Greater Cambridge.

Demand has been particularly high for inner-city R&D space – a relatively new concept to the UK, albeit one well established in the US.

The new study finds the likely availability of wet labs to the end of the decade is “now substantial and sufficient to meet the expected needs” – although more will be needed after 2030 to meet the demand to 2040.

Similarly, the report finds the supply for general office space, and for laboratory space involving dry materials or computer analysis – dry labs – to meet the needs of the burgeoning digital/ICT sector, “appears relatively healthy looking ahead” but it adds: “There are likely to be additional requirements later in the 2030s.”

The report states that around 2.6million sq ft of wet lab space will be provided in Greater Cambridge in the period 2025-29. More recent permissions including the new Mission Street science district in Cherry Hinton on land south of Coldham’s Lane - which will provide 1million sq ft across seven buildings - will add to this figure.

The Shared Planning study authors suggest that the plans for new facilities are geared towards larger companies.

They note: “There may remain a shortfall in the critical smaller space for life science ‘start-up’ businesses of up to five people and ‘scale-up’ businesses of six to 10 people required to support new companies looking to grow on the back of research funding.”

So does this risk mean that the supply of affordable space for start-ups in Cambridge will have a negative impact on the small start-up sector which has been at the heart of the Cambridge Phenomenon since Trinity opened the first science park in 1971?

“The additional overall supply [of lab space] set out in the report should free up the overall market, making it easier for smaller businesses to find space,” says the Greater Cambridge Shared Planning Service spokesperson. However, they added, “such smaller spaces are inevitably less viable to develop given the financial risk”.

Overall, the mood is upbeat - everyone in the city wants to make the development of the region a success. Cllr Katie Thornburrow, Cambridge City Council’s executive councillor for planning, building control and infrastructure, said: “I’m very pleased to see such a significant improvement in the supply of appropriate office and lab space across Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire, especially the vitally important ‘wet labs’ that are needed by companies working in the life sciences.

“Cambridge is nationally and internationally important and has a key role to play in the country’s future and in furthering the scientific endeavour that translates into national prosperity and improved opportunity and wellbeing for our local communities.”

How the planned improvements will be possible given the shortage of water in the region - 97 per cent of our drinking water is abstracted from the chalk aquifer lying to the south and east of Cambridge, which has been showing signs of stress for decades - and the well-understood transport issues, is not fully addressed in the report. It will, however, be a key topic for the planning service as it continues to work on its emerging Local Plan.

A spokesperson for the Greater Cambridge Shared Planning Service said: “The Shared Planning Service and both councils continue to focus upon exploring and resolving the environmental and infrastructure issues facing the area.

“The water scarcity situation continues to be an important issue for the councils. We are continuing our work with the Government’s Cambridge Water Scarcity Group, and engaging directly with the Environment Agency and Cambridge Water to seek assurances that water supply can be provided in a sustainable way in the short, medium and long term.”

On the dichotomy of delivering sustainability at a time of ferocious growth, a spokesperson for Cambridge Water said: “Our proposed Water Resource Management Plan outlines how we will meet the water needs of both our customers and the environment, ensuring our supply is sustainable, and is currently with the Environment Agency for review and approval.

“The detailed analysis and modelling work we did here at Cambridge Water shows that managing demand alone will not be enough to meet the needs of all water users in the future. So, we’re also planning several different supply options, including the short-term options of taking water from an existing water source in Fenstanton that could provide around 2 million litres of water a day, and transferring water from Grafham Reservoir in Anglian Water’s operating area, which will provide around 26 million litres of water a day from 2032. In the longer term, we are also proposing a new Fens Reservoir in partnership with Anglian Water, that would provide up to half of all our water needs (around 44 million litres of water a day) when it is brought into commission in 2036/37.”

The Environment Agency has said that Cambridge Water needs to reduce its abstraction by 22 million litres per day - the water is sourced from boreholes sunk into the chalk aquifer accounting for an average of 86 million litres a day of water resources, and up to 107 million litres on a really hot day. However, the Friends of the Cam decree that strategies to reduce abstraction, including demand management and leakage reduction, have not been successful.

Indeed Stephen Tomkins of Cam Valley Forum posits that the goal of a sustainable water supply is unachievable.

“They're between rock and hard place as they do have to supply on demand but the Environment Agency has already told Cambridge Water that they need to cut their usage in order to make what they’re doing already to make it sustainable and Cambridge Water can’t do that.

“The Grafham reservoir will come on tap not before 2032 and that will help but it’s not until Chatteris reservoir water - which hasn’t even got planning permission - that they will be able to cut the abstraction rate.

“Cam Valley Forum has been for a long time of the opinion that we’re not in a sustainable situation at the moment let alone for the future.”