Greater Cambridge Biomedical Campus “priority” – Michael Gove

Expanding the Cambridge Biomedical Campus will be a priority for a new body charged with the city’s growth, a foreign secretary has announced.

Leveling Up Minister Michael Gove said the “national importance” of the city’s life sciences sector warrants an “early expansion” of the site.

The campus is home to pharmaceutical giant Astra Zeneca and the multiple Nobel Prize-winning Laboratory of Molecular Biology.

One local leader questions whether growth will come at the expense of the green belt.

One of the “first priorities” would be “supporting immediate collaboration among key stakeholders” on campus and establishing new development plans.

He added: “The Government is confident that the national importance of the life sciences sector in Greater Cambridge is sufficient to secure, in principle, the early expansion and coherent delivery of this key UK life sciences cluster.”

The growth company “will also help remove any barriers to the early expansion and coherent improvement of the campus,” he said.

That work would include “accelerated delivery” of housing and “appropriate levels of affordable housing” for those working on campus.

According to the Biomedical Campus, it is the largest center for medical research and health sciences in Europe and contributes £4.2 billion per year to the UK economy.

It said there is “huge potential for Cambridge to become Europe’s answer to Silicon Valley”.

Building 150,000 homes in and around Cambridge could add around £6.4 billion to the economy, the document said.

But it also warned that a lack of laboratory space, restrictions on water supplies and the high cost of housing relative to wages were “hindering its potential”.

The Biomedical Campus is located just south of Cambridge and falls within the South Cambridgeshire District Council area.

The council’s leader, Liberal Democrat Bridget Smith, said: “We welcome the Government’s recognition of the importance of the life science sector and note that the Government has encouraged stakeholders to work together and submit their proposals to put forward.

“It is clear that these proposals will have to go through the usual planning application process.”

Mike Davey, the Labor leader of Cambridge City Council, wondered “Will the devil be in the details of the plans and how they could “impact the green belt”.