The Crown Estate has revealed a refreshed masterplan for Cambridge Business Park that imagines the site supporting up to 8,000 jobs alongside homes, shops, eateries and plenty of green space.
The next round of public consultation is now open on these plans, with fresh visuals giving a glimpse of what it might look like.
The Crown Estate owns the land and aims to submit an outline planning application in summer 2026 for this ambitious vision, which could take anywhere from 12 to 18 years to finish.
They see it becoming a “greener, more dynamic centre for science, innovation and community use” at this 40-year-old business park. It would serve as an entry point to the new North East Cambridge ‘Innovation District’, located across Milton Road from Cambridge Science Park and near St John’s Innovation Park plus developments around Cambridge North station.
After earlier feedback, the updated plan includes better public spaces, improved transport links and a wider range of housing options.
The site is divided into four ‘character areas’:
Main Square – set to include labs, cutting-edge workspaces, ‘science on show’, plus new shops, cafes and restaurants. The Crown Estate will team up with groups like The Phoenix Trust to make this an inclusive spot for locals;
Testbed – will host experimental workspaces clustered together along with a mobility hub featuring car parking plus the Origin innovation hub (which recently got planning approval). There’s also going to be a standout building offering co-living homes right at the entrance;
Mixed-use neighbourhood – here you’ll find homes in different styles and price ranges along with workspace areas and new residential gardens;
Park Edge – planned as a community green zone including playgrounds, sports facilities, labs and a new watercourse. Community groups and local sports clubs will be invited to help shape this space.
Matthew Sampson from The Crown Estate said: “We’re proud to be advancing one of the region’s most important strategic sites as part of the North East Cambridge Innovation District, contributing to a unified vision alongside neighbouring projects such as St John’s Innovation Park, Merlin Place, Brookgate and Trinity Hall Farm.
“Our proposals reflect community feedback and aim to create a place that brings together science, community and national prosperity for Cambridge’s future.
“This consultation marks an important milestone in refining our plans ahead of submission next year, and we look forward to continuing the conversation with the community in the weeks ahead.”
The plan includes creating up to 1.7 million sq ft for flexible lab spaces and offices across more than ten acres-bigger than six football pitches combined-for public use too. They’ll free up room by moving surface car parks into two multi-storey ‘mobility hubs’. Active travel gets priority with new walking/cycling paths plus bike parking; there might even be a guided busway stop inside.
“It’s not within our control entirely, but we think there is general support for a new guided bus stop and crossing,” Mr Sampson told the Cambridge Independent.
Around 210 homes are expected in different sizes plus between 200-250 co-living units mainly aimed at solo renters sharing common facilities.
The development plans over 215,000 sq ft dedicated to natural habitats like urban orchards & wildlife ponds while aiming to cut water use by about half compared with similar projects – saving roughly six million litres yearly through smart designs including grey water reuse.
The developers want keep existing buildings where they can reduce carbon footprint; three are currently marked for retention. They hope also involve current tenants who have various leases in redesigning office/lab spaces.
“There has been general feedback that we want variety in the skyline,” said Mr Sampson explaining they plan buildings at different heights across campus.
The latest plans were shown publicly first on Thursday (13 November) during an exhibition held at Byron House within Cambridge Business Park itself. They’re also available Saturday (15 November) between10am-2pm or online until December7th ,2025.
Local folks , businesses , stakeholders are all welcome share opinions anytime before then via cambridgebusinesspark. commonplace. is where exhibition boards live too.
Once input collected here , The Crown Estate intends reveal final masterplan spring ’26 prior applying formally summer ’26. Then detailed building applications come after , again consulting public further.
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