Developer Brockton Everlast pledges to create sustainable urban science quarter by redeveloping Cambridge industrial park

Developers say they want to create a new ‘urban science quarter’ in Cambridge by redeveloping an industrial park.

Brockton Everlast briefed councillors on its plans to demolish Trinity Hall Farm Industrial Estate in Nuffield Road and create two new science buildings and two office buildings.

A community garden and cafe would be among the public benefits, they said.

Speaking to Cambridge city and South Cambridgeshire district councillors ahead of submitting a planning application, the company’s design lead, Gavin Henderson, said the aim was to set a “new benchmark in terms of environmental performance” for science buildings in the city.

The net zero carbon development will target the “highest levels of accreditation” and they intended to “significantly” reduce the demand for water by collecting rainwater and reusing grey water.

Richard Selby, another representative of the developer, told last Wednesday’s joint development control committee that the existing industrial park “underutilised” the land it sits on and said there is an opportunity to create a new “urban quarter” with “sustainable science and technology buildings”.

The buildings will reach up to 27.1 metres in height, but the developers said the four buildings will vary in height, with lower buildings nearer to the neighbouring housing.

Mr Henderson said: “We see this as not just a series of buildings, but as very much about creating a new urban quarter with its own character and distinct sense of place.

“That is something we are very excited about. We all know that the science economy is very important to Cambridge and Cambridge has this very unique urban fabric, but they don’t really come together in what I would say is the traditional science park model.

“We feel this is an incredible opportunity to set a new paradigm for doing science in a more sustainable way and a more urban way, integrating it into the vision for this part of Cambridge.”

District councillor Anna Bradnam (Lib Dem, Milton and Waterbeach) noted that neighbours beside the industrial park currently have a one-storey building next door.

But the developer noted that while the existing buildings are right on the boundary, the new buildings would be set back.

They said assessment of the impact on daylight for the homes showed the development would not be overbearing - details that will be submitted for scrutiny as part of the application.

City councillor Katie Porrer (Lib Dem, Market) found “lots of positives” in the proposals and asked for a direct comparison in the application showing how much water is used at the industrial park now, compared to how much is predicted to be used.

She also pointed out that while the plan is to cut the number of car parking spaces on site, it remained high for a “sustainable site”.

The developer’s representatives said the spaces were being designed so that they could be converted at a later date if they were not needed, either into more cycle parking spaces, or storage to support laboratory support.