Science campus expansion could see homes demolished

There are plans to expand Babraham Research Campus in South Cambridgeshire over the next 15 years

Homes could be demolished to make way for the expansion of a science and research complex.

Stuart Hay, chief operating officer of Babraham Research Campus Ltd - which manages the site near Cambridge - said existing houses could be knocked down to make way for more than 80 new ones as well as additional laboratories and offices.

He added that the development company also had ambitions to add new shops, a café and a nursery to the site over the next 15 years.

Mr Hay said at a meeting with South Cambridgeshire District Council on Wednesday that new homes would be available for current occupants before they had to move, unless they had already left at the end of their term.

He said there was "reasonable demand" for housing on the site from people who worked there, meaning his company must follow a selection process based on need and availability.

The campus incorporates a 19th Century manor house and extensive parkland

But some homes were "not of the best quality", Mr Hay said, and the new ones - also primarily for staff - would be better quality, with some offered at a discounted rate.

He updated councillors on the company's vision for the site and answered their questions ahead of planning applications being formally submitted.

The Babraham Research Campus, founded in 1998, is a mixture of laboratories, offices and homes and specialises in bioscience, or the study of the biology and chemistry of living organisms.

There are more than 60 startups, businesses and charities on the site, with about 2,000 employees and 300 academic researchers, as well as about 40 homes. There were plans to increase that number to 83.

It incorporates the historic Babraham Hall manor house and extensive parkland.

Duncan Ray, an architect working on the expansion plans, said at the meeting that developers were also looking at ways to encourage sustainable travel to the campus, rather than private cars.

Developers said they also wanted to encourage "community use" through the new shops and café if plans were approved.