Railpen’s 1 million sq ft Cambridge Beehive plans green lit by Secretary of State
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: “We welcome the Secretary of State’s decision, which recognises the merit and appropriateness of our Beehive proposals, to create a world-class innovation park. This result is an important milestone for the Oxford-Cambridge Growth Corridor and reflects continued international confidence in the UK’s business environment. We remain dedicated to advancing this vision through the development of our Innovation Cluster in Cambridge and, with this decision, we look forward to continued constructive engagement with our partners in the city, including the council and community organisations. We are committed to ensuring that our scheme makes a meaningful and lasting contribution to Cambridge’s economic and social progress, while supporting the nation’s broader growth objectives.”
The Beehive forms part of Railpen’s Innovation Cluster in Cambridge, a portfolio of 11 assets totalling 1.9 million sq ft of space, conceived to address current and emerging occupier requirements. Other assets in the cluster include the recently consented 230 Newmarket Road, Railpen’s proposed 112,000 sq ft Grade A office building, Mill Yard, its 180,000 sq ft mixed-use campus that completes in Q1 2027, and Botanic Place, its 325,000 sq ft headquarters development that completes in Q1 2028.