The District Council has received an outline planning application to triple the size of the space available for employment, conferencing and other facilities at the Wellcome Trust’s Genome Campus in Hinxton. A public consultation has now been launched to help people have their say.
Cutting-edge genome and biodata research is carried out by around 2,500 people who currently work at the campus, which the Wellcome Trust says is now getting full. As a result, and to build upon the need for more research space, the Trust is seeking permission to expand the campus to create a scientific community, mainly on land to the east of the existing site across the A1301.
The site currently has around 75,000sqm of employment space and conferencing facilities.
The proposal includes plans for:
- 150,000sqm of new employment floorspace
- Around 4,300 new jobs
- Up to 1,500 new homes for campus-based employees, to include a range of sizes and ownership options
- A nursery for up to 120 children
- A fitness centre
- A health centre
- A community hall
- A cultural facility
- A conference centre with up to 175 bedrooms
- Shops and food and drink outlets
- Public open spaces including a central common, allotments, sports and play areas
- New cycling and walking paths and road crossing points
- Alterations to local roads including a new roundabout on the A1301
- A primary school and technical education facility if they are needed
The campus is proposed to be opened up to provide public access, which would enable surrounding communities to use a range of open space and facilities.
The outline application covers the general principles of how the site would be developed. The details of the proposals, such as the design of buildings, would be dealt with later in the planning process if permission is granted.
A public consultation into the planning application is now underway and runs until Friday 25 January 2019. People can comment on the plans by visiting www.scambs.gov.uk, following the links to the planning pages, clicking on “View or comment on a planning application” and using the reference number S/4329/18/OL.
South Cambridgeshire District Council’s Lead Cabinet Member for Planning, Cllr Dr. Tumi Hawkins, said: “These are ambitious proposals from a significant employer in South Cambridgeshire and so it is vital to fully understand what they would mean for the local area and the district as a whole. It’s an interesting proposal bringing together jobs and homes for staff, but it’s particularly important we examine the impact that approving these plans would have on the surrounding countryside and roads in the area. I’m encouraging people, especially those living in and around Hinxton, to tell us what they think about these plans. We really appreciate people taking the time to comment on this planning application and all relevant views will be taken into account when we get to the stage of needing to make a decision.”