Anglian Water objects to redevelopment of 210-240 Cambridge Science Park over wastewater capacity

Anglian Water has objected to a major redevelopment on Cambridge Science Park because it has reached capacity in its wastewater services in the area.

Developer Brockton Everlast has applied to demolish six ageing units on the park and redevelop another so that it can build four new “world-class” buildings in a net zero carbon development designed for life science, innovation and technology.

The Fenway, as it is known, is the kind of development that Chancellor Rachel Reeves seemed to have in mind during her speech promoting growth in the Oxford-Cambridge region.

But it faces a major stumbling block. Responding to the demolition plans for units 210-240, Anglian Water says: “The foul drainage from this development is in the catchment of Cambridge Water Recycling Centre which currently does not have capacity to treat the flows from the development site.

“Anglian Water has applied to the Environment Agency for an interim new permit to address exceedance.”

It adds: “In order for Anglian Water to accept the trade effluent, and to issue you with a trade effluent discharge consent, we may need to upgrade the local WRC.”

This would be a “substantial undertaking” that would “take time” and be “costly”, it warns, adding that the developer would be ”responsible for 100 per cent of the cost of the upgrade of the local WRC to enable the works to receive and treat your trade effluent”.

And it confirms: “Anglian Water objects to the connections into our foul network from the proposed development, due to capacity constraints and pollution risk.”

The water company notes that its long-term plan is to relocate the sewage works to a new site, which lies in the Green Belt at Honey Hill.

That development, however, is awaiting government approval, with a decision now delayed for a second time until 14 April by Steve Reed, the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. It had been due on 12 January but was pushed back so the plans can be considered in the light of new planning policies.

Brockton Everlast says it wants to redevelop the 11-acre site at the heart of the Science Park “into a place for everyone, from all walks of life: office workers, families, students, retired people, and businesses big, small, international and local”.

It wants to demolish buildings 210, 211, 214, 220, 230 and 240 as they “no longer meet the requirements of the local area and employers” and sustainability studies show it will be more beneficial in the long-term to knock them down and build, rather than refurbish or retrofit them. Building 216, which has recently been refurbished, would be retained.

It also intends to open up the space, with 64 per cent of the site landscape and 36 per cent occupied by buildings.

Richard Selby, co-partner at Brockton, said: “Last week, the government reaffirmed its commitment to Cambridge as a city at the forefront of UK innovation and growth, highlighting continued investment in infrastructure and emphasising the need for high-quality, highly sustainable spaces to support its position as a global leader.

“The Fenway, 210-240 Cambridge Science Park, will directly address the strong demand from both start-ups and large companies for state-of-the-art, highly adaptable laboratories, allowing science and innovation businesses to grow and scale up over time, while creating an open and accessible environment for both employees and the wider public.

“The four new best-in-class laboratory and office buildings with active ground floor uses are set within a further 6.5 acres of carefully planned and thoughtfully landscaped open space. This scheme will set a new benchmark for environmental performance for science buildings in Cambridge – delivering future-proofed buildings for the next generation of net-zero occupiers and creating a place where people want to come together to work, create and spend time.”

Cambridge Past, Present and Future, the conservation charity, has objected to the plans, however, complaining that the design features “giant inelegant boxes”, with buildings “of similar height and of similar design”. Calling for more variety in heights and more innovation in the architecture, the charity warns: “When viewed from a distance the buildings will aggregate into one building.”

Anglian Water is also objecting to housing developments in parts of South Cambridgeshire, as the Cambridge Independent revealed last week, warning wastewater capacity constraints mean it cannot connect more homes to Foxton Water Recycling Centre “without breaching environmental legislation”.