Business Weekly - Cambridge, UK

Hats off to a new phase of growth: Bob John, CEO of TWI and Roger Quince, MD of Granta Park

In November 1997 a joint partnership was formed between TWI and MEPC and Granta Park Limited was created. For its owners Granta Park represents a long-term investment, not a short-term property development opportunity and so a heavy initial investment was made in infrastructure and landscaping, based on a strong, landscaped master plan.

A design team comprising Latz and Co, probably the foremost landscape designers in Germany who are currently working on Crystal Palace Park and, Eric Parry Architects the internationally renowned practice; developed the master plan for the park with the aim of preserving and enhancing the existing rural landscape and ensuring the site would be easily accessible.

The site is in a prime location, a 10 minutes drive (7 miles) from the centre of Cambridge, next to the A11 and only 5 miles from junction 9 of the M11, providing easy access to Stansted Airport. Granta Park does not suffer from the traffic congestion. The master plan provides for ample circulation roads and car parking to serve the buildings and the 2000 on site employees and additions such as a shuttle bus service and a car sharing scheme has ensured that people have a choice of transport methods with consideration for the environment.

The first idea for the park came from the then Chief Executive of TWI Bevan Braithwaite OBE. MEPC, who at that time had already made a success of Milton Park in Abingdon Oxfordshire, were the ideal partners to turn the dream of a new Cambridge science park into reality.

In July 1998 Roger Quince, formerly of Segal Quince and Wicksteed, the economics consultancy that produced The Cambridge Phenomenon Report joined Granta Park Limited as Managing Director.

The first two companies to commit to the site were Chiroscience (now UCB) and Ribotargets (now Vernalis) both of whom are still on site. Dr Mark Bushfield, the Site Director at UCB’s Granta Park facility, commented;"Our location on the Park has been extremely successful. The Cambridge location offers a number of advantages including access to cutting-edge academic research through the University and Research Institutes, and the ability to tap into a talent pool of bright academics and experienced drug discovery scientists from the surrounding Biotech and Pharma cluster. We currently have over 150 people working on site.”

From 1998 through to 2003 nine new buildings were constructed on the Granta Park site and in 2004 and 2005 extensions to existing buildings were completed for Ribotargets and PPD.

All buildings on the site have been constructed using the “construction management” method which means that the on-site team has been involved in every detail of every building’s construction to ensure quality of build and continuity on site and it’s fair to say lessons have been learnt along the way. The team at Granta Park have become experts in designing buildings for the high-tech sector.

It has not all been plain sailing however as companies such as Millennium Pharmaceuticals and Axis Genetics have proved. Roger Quince explains;
“When you enter into an agreement to build a building for a company the process includes checks to mitigate risk but not all risk can be removed. We build specialist facilities which require a lot of investment. Biotech companies do not have the sort of money required to build a specialist building for themselves and therefore require someone else to fund the building which is what we do and then lease it to them. So we did expect a few problems along the way; reflecting the ups and downs of the high-tech market and with each new situation we have managed to create a new success story. I look forward to more of the same with Phase II.”

There’s no doubt that the park has been hugely successful at attracting high-tech companies, developing and managing the landscape and environment, building high-quality buildings and managing the site for the future.

For occupiers the high quality environment inspires employees and impresses clients and, amenities such as the café, nursery, gym and shuttle bus make it possible for the employees on site to achieve a work-life balance.

“CAT, now Medimmune first decided to move the company to Granta Park in 2000, occupying our first building in 2001. We now have a considerable presence on the park in three buildings. The Park has proved to be strategically well placed and the superb environment and facilities provided by Granta Park has proved to be very popular with staff.” MedImmune.

The bold design of the landscape and buildings provides stunning views across the cricket pitch, lake and chalk meadow lands, framed with woodlands and avenues of trees.

The area has become a haven for wildlife. Innovative features such as the “parking groves” allow for a high density of tree planting so that instead of the stereotypical industrial or business park look where buildings are throttled by cars, the cars are parked in parking groves as an extension of both the woodland and of the building area.

The community of current high-tech occupiers includes Alizyme, MedImmune, UCB, Gilead, PPD, Vernalis and Pfizer whose buildings were specially designed to meet their requirement and the on-site management team are available to support companies on a day-to-day basis as needed.