Secretary of State Cable visits Alconbury Campus to see BFG progress
- 26.11.2014
The Secretary of State for Business Innovation and Skills visited Alconbury Enterprise Campus today (Thursday 13th November 2014) to view the progress of the latest Building Foundations for Growth project and to sign a Growth Deal worth £71.1 million for the local area.
The official signing of the Greater Cambridge Greater Peterborough LEP (GCGP) Growth Deal paves the way for a range of projects to support economic growth next year, including the creation of a Cambridge Biomedical Innovation Centre on the new Cambridge Biomedical Campus, the development of the Epicentre at Haverhill Research Park, upgrades to both the Bourges Boulevard and Junction 20 of the A47 in Peterborough, and a new facility for TWI at Alconbury Enterprise Campus.
Whilst visiting the site, the Secretary of State also had the opportunity to see first-hand the infrastructuring work taking place at Alconbury Enterprise Campus to prepare the site for further development. That work – supported by £5m Building Foundations for Growth Funding and matchfunded by the site owners and developers Urban&Civic – will see the creation of 70 acres of Enterprise Zone land ready for building. Work being undertaken currently includes the demolition of some buildings, pulling up hardstanding concrete from former taxiways and starting to lay new water, power and digital connections and new roads. The work will bring forward more new buildings to sit alongside the Incubator – which is already full of businesses. New buildings planned include a business conference centre, a skills centre and the Growth Deal funded TWI development.
Business Secretary Vince Cable said:
“I am delighted to sign this Growth Deal for Greater Cambridge and Greater Peterborough. It will put money and power directly into the hands of local people, resulting in thousands of new jobs and houses, as well as boosting skills, innovation and transport in the area.”
Mark Reeve, Chairman of the LEP, explains:
“The signing of the Growth Deal for our local area means that we can deliver some important schemes for our local economy. However, there is still more to do, and we are working hard to develop our bid for the next Growth Deal to secure funding for better roads, improved rail links and key business and housing developments.”
Robin Butler, Managing Director of Urban&Civic, said:
“Having completed £15m investment in design, planning and enabling works, and filled the Incubator in under three months we are now moving into the delivery of the first 800,000 sq ft of commercial space for Phase 1. The demolition going on at the moment paves the way for further infrastructuring, landscaping, and - come the Spring - we'll be building again. Designs for five buildings are in the design phase currently and negotiations ongoing with more businesses about coming to Alconbury Weald.”
Further information about the Growth Deal can be found online at: http://www.gcgp.co.uk/local-growth-strategy/