The scheme, approved by Cambridge City Council subject to a Section 106 agreement, signals a new approach to university-industry collaboration, with innovation ‘designed-in’ to encourage creativity to flourish. The restyled site will build on Cambridge’s innovation success and support the region's economic recovery post-pandemic.
A wide range of jobs at various skill levels will be created as part of the site’s development, with an ambition to grow the number of employees at West Cambridge from the current 4,000 to 15,000 by 2031. The scheme will also boost sustainable travel at the site and in the west of the city, with a significant investment in pedestrian and cycle improvements.
New academic and commercial spaces will provide ‘side-by-side’ collaborative working - including Growth Hubs and an Innovation Space to support the development of start-ups - and at the heart of the District will be a series of shared amenity hubs that offer flexible space for teaching and study, as well as business meetings, social and networking events, talks and art exhibitions. The first of these hubs, is set to open later this year, and will include a café, restaurant and retail facilities that will welcome the local community and complement existing amenities such as the Sports Centre that already offers state-of-the-art leisure facilities for everyone living and working in the area.
Image: West Cambridge Illustrative Masterplan - view of the East Forum
Credit: Alan Marten
Reproduced courtesy of the University of Cambridge