Railpen’s 1 million sq ft Cambridge Beehive plans green lit by Secretary of State
10th December 2025 Railpen’s proposals to develop Beehive, a 1 million sq ft lab-led mixed use scheme in Cambridge, have been green lit by the Rt Hon Steve Reed OBE, the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities, and Local Government. Currently a retail park, Railpen plans to transform Beehive into a world-class innovation park which features workspaces for technology businesses, laboratories for research, a new community park, a youth and community hub, a science centre, alongside around 20 new shops, restaurants and cafés. Major public transport upgrades are also a part of the plans, with the objective to remove more than 10,000 cars from local roads. Railpen said the development would provide a number of benefits to the surrounding area, including an uplift in employment, a £600m boost to gross value added, and an increase in tex revenues and business rates. The planning consent will also facilitate Railpen’s plans to upgrade the neighbouring Cambridge Retail Park, where an improvements programme has been developed that will look to bring significant benefits to retailers and the local community, including the relocation of retailers. The first phase has recently been completed with the creation of a new Starbucks. Andy Bord, chief executive officer of Railpen, said: […]
