Scheme

Meeting Place was appointed to support the redevelopment of Capital Park, Cambridge following the acquisition of the site by Longfellow; the largest privately-owned life sciences real estate company in the U.S.

Longfellow is bringing forward plans to develop Capital Park Cambridge, a 42-acre site located in the South Cambridgeshire.

As part of the wider vision for the campus, a mixture of the redevelopment of existing buildings, new lab space and opening up the site for public use all form part of the emerging proposals for the site. This will help to create a unique environment for tenants through the provision of on-site amenities, opportunities for increasing biodiversity and ecology across the site as well as ensuring sustainability is at the heart of the proposals.

Strategy

As the long-term custodian for the site, we decided to not only consult on the plans for the planning application, but also to build long-lasting relationships with local decision makers, residents and community stakeholders.

An initial “meet-the team” event was held with the community. The format of the event corresponded with its central objective: to introduce Longfellow as the owner of Capital Park and for the local community to feed in their ideas at an early stage of the planning process.

The event attracted almost 90 people over the course of the afternoon and evening, including members of Fulbourn Parish Council, members of the Fulbourn Neighbourhood Plan Group, ward members, County Councillors and local groups such as Fulbourn Forum, Fulbourn Arts and the nearby Scouts group. This is in addition to other meetings which have been held with stakeholders such as the local MP, CamCycle and CPPF.

The first community event was designed to be informative and allow for conversations around the materials on display. Through the format, the local stakeholders were able talk in detail concerning their initial thoughts, ideas, preferences and concerns about the Capital Park site and proposed improvements. 95% of those who completed a form are supportive of the aspiration to improve Capital Park and 18 people volunteered to join a working group.

Since then, working group sessions have taken place which have focussed on specific topics such as transport and access, landscaping, community facilities and placemaking. These are helping to shape the emerging aspects of the campus masterplan.

Outcome

The design team is currently refining the proposals for the site.

Looking ahead, further workshops will be held before a formal round of engagement to unveil the campus masterplan and invite feedback from the local community.