Sheppard Robson unveils plans for £250m Cambridge science park

Sheppard Robson has revealed plans for a £250 million office and laboratory scheme to house about 75 life sciences and tech businesses south of CambridgeThe plans, backed by Bruntwood SciTech, would see the the Melbourn Science Park redeveloped with over 36,000m² of office and lab space across nine buildings. Six of the buildings will be new, and the other three will be refurbished existing structures.Proposals also include a co-working space for start-ups, a ‘village green’, a gastropub, 18-bedroom hotel and a cycle and car parking facility with electric charging points.Sheppard Robson said it would offset the 3,450 tonnes of embodied carbon emitted during construction by linking the heating and cooling network between the buildings, which will be connected to air source heat pumps.The practice said that the all-electric development would have 600m² of solar panels on its roofs.Jamie Clyde, director for the southern region and innovation services at Bruntwood SciTech, said: ‘Our major investment into Melbourn Science Park reaffirms our long-term commitment to support the growth of Cambridgeshire’s life science and tech cluster, connecting businesses to our UK network of more than 500 existing sector specialist companies of all sizes.‘We are building on the park’s proud history as a centre for scientific innovation. Our vision for the campus is to be a world-class and globally recognised hub where research, commercialisation and corporate innovation come together to improve human lives and healthcare.‘It will be a unique place to innovate, collaborate, grow businesses and socialise while promoting inclusivity and wellbeing for those who work on the campus and the wider local community.’Plans have been submitted and the developers hope to begin work in winter this year, with completion slated for spring 2026.Source:Virtual Planit