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Addenbrookes Hospital at the heart of Landowners' Biomedical Campus Vision

24 October 2024

PUBLISHED ON BEHALF OF THE CAMBRIDGE BIOMEDICAL CAMPUS LANDOWNERS' COLLABORATIVE GROUP:

Yesterday (Wednesday 23 October) the Cambridge Biomedical Campus Landowners' Collaborative Group offered an update on our long-term development aspirations for the sustainable development and expansion of the Cambridge Biomedical Campus.

Residents and stakeholders at the Greater Cambridge Shared Planning Community Planning Update meeting heard that the outline concepts, which are at their earliest stages, put Addenbrooke’s Hospital at the heart of a wider vision to meet health and community needs across the Cambridge Biomedical Campus site.

The Landowners' Collaboration Group is formed of Cambridgeshire County Council; Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Trust; the University of Cambridge; Prologis and the Pemberton Family Trust.

With continued Government interest in this area, these early ideas would continue to develop the Campus, and expand it further to the south. These ideas are being outlined in response to the growth proposals set out in the Greater Cambridge First Proposals documents and in response to Cambridge Biomedical Campus Ltd’s Cambridge Biomedical Campus Vision 2050. Our ideas also show how we think development options being explored through the emerging Great Cambridge Local Plan and Cambridge Biomedical Campus Ltd’s Vision for 2050 could be taken forward.

Whilst still working through the potential options ahead of any formal planning proposals, the various partners have collectively agreed to refine the various ambitious proposals for this nationally significant site.

The campus is of strategic importance for healthcare globally due to the unique health and research benefits achieved through the co-location of Addenbrooke’s Hospital, University research departments, research institutes including the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, the Royal Papworth Hospital, the future Children’s and Cancer Hospitals, AstraZeneca and other research companies in the life-science industry. 

The Landowners' Collaborative Group intend to comprehensively engage with the local community, initially through a range of theme-based workshops which will take place in 2025. The workshops will align with planning timetables including the Greater Cambridge Local Plan and ensure that future proposals for the site benefit from the input of the wider community.

Workshops are anticipated to include representatives from campus occupiers, councillors, Parish Councils and key interested parties, with this meeting the first step in a substantial engagement process ahead of any decisions being made.

Recently representatives from local authorities met with Housing and Planning Minister, Matthew Pennycook MP at the Biomedical Campus to discuss partnership efforts to ensure responsible and sustainable economic growth around Greater Cambridge – and the Campus.

Cambridgeshire County Council’s Director of Finance, Michael Hudson who spoke at the meeting on behalf of the Cambridge Biomedical Campus Landowners' Collaborative Group said:

“Addenbrooke’s is critical to our health here in Cambridgeshire. The hospital delivers urgent and important services used by hundreds of people each day. To support that provision now – and as Cambridgeshire’s population grows – it’s essential that we create a plan for the future.

“The world-class medical research that takes place daily across the Biomedical Campus makes a difference – not only to people’s health and wellbeing locally – but nationally and internationally.

“Government have made clear their ambitions for the continued economic growth of Cambridge – and of the Biomedical Campus.

“We want to ensure that this involves and benefits local people. When political leaders met with the planning minister recently, they emphasised how our area’s substantial economic success also creates significant pressures on local people, on services and infrastructure – and it was encouraging to hear the minister’s appreciation and understanding of these issues.

“This is only the start of a process where we work with everyone from local residents to central government to deliver for our communities, businesses and health partners, now and the years ahead.”