Summary
There is currently insufficient local employment for the majority of Cambourne residents to work nearby and this shortage would persist were the proposed Bourn Airfield development to proceed. The major centres of employment are located in Cambridge City itself and to its north and south, and are forecast to remain so to 2031. The majority of Bourn Airfield residents would therefore need to commute to Cambridge and beyond.
3.2 Lack of employment in the Cambourne and Bourn Airfield areas
3.2.1 Approximately 1,200 workers are currently employed at Cambourne, the majority of whom work on the business park – these include the staff of South Cambridgeshire District Council itself, whose headquarters was relocated there. The planned
employment capacity of the business park was 4,450,3 but the developers have had difficulty attracting businesses to Cambourne and are seeking change of use for some of the site to become residential.
3.2.2 The Bourn Airfield industrial site employs only a small number at present. The largest employer, Gestamp Tallent, is currently seeking planning permission to rebuild its premises but has stated that the new facility would employ, at most, a few hundred
staff. A small number of jobs will be lost from the Rural Flying Corps, which operates from the airfield, if the Bourn Airfield development goes ahead.
3.2.3 The Local Plan states that the Bourn Airfield Development will “meet the housing and employment needs of Cambridge”4 but it does not indicate how the latter needs will be met. Given the density of housing and lack of space, (see later section on Site
Capacity) it is difficult to see how land can be allocated for employment if SCDC are to meet the housing numbers stated in the Local Plan.
3.2.4 Apart from South Cambridgeshire District Council, the biggest employer within 5 miles of the proposed Airfield development is Papworth Hospital. However, the hospital is moving to the Addenbrooke’s Biomedical site in 2017, with the loss of 1,600 jobs in
the Cambourne area.
3.3 Employment in the wider Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire areas
3.3.1 Cambridge City is identified as a “regional centre of economic importance”. Around 100,0005 people are employed there, and 60% of the workforce is drawn from outside the city.
3.3.2 Around 75,000 people are employed within South Cambridgeshire itself. Figure 1 shows the main employment areas in South Cambridgeshire outside Cambridge City.
There is currently insufficient local employment for the majority of Cambourne residents to work nearby and this shortage would persist were the proposed Bourn Airfield development to proceed. The major centres of employment are located in Cambridge City itself and to its north and south, and are forecast to remain so to 2031. The majority of Bourn Airfield residents would therefore need to commute to Cambridge and beyond.
3.2 Lack of employment in the Cambourne and Bourn Airfield areas
3.2.1 Approximately 1,200 workers are currently employed at Cambourne, the majority of whom work on the business park – these include the staff of South Cambridgeshire District Council itself, whose headquarters was relocated there. The planned
employment capacity of the business park was 4,450,3 but the developers have had difficulty attracting businesses to Cambourne and are seeking change of use for some of the site to become residential.
3.2.2 The Bourn Airfield industrial site employs only a small number at present. The largest employer, Gestamp Tallent, is currently seeking planning permission to rebuild its premises but has stated that the new facility would employ, at most, a few hundred
staff. A small number of jobs will be lost from the Rural Flying Corps, which operates from the airfield, if the Bourn Airfield development goes ahead.
3.2.3 The Local Plan states that the Bourn Airfield Development will “meet the housing and employment needs of Cambridge”4 but it does not indicate how the latter needs will be met. Given the density of housing and lack of space, (see later section on Site
Capacity) it is difficult to see how land can be allocated for employment if SCDC are to meet the housing numbers stated in the Local Plan.
3.2.4 Apart from South Cambridgeshire District Council, the biggest employer within 5 miles of the proposed Airfield development is Papworth Hospital. However, the hospital is moving to the Addenbrooke’s Biomedical site in 2017, with the loss of 1,600 jobs in
the Cambourne area.
3.3 Employment in the wider Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire areas
3.3.1 Cambridge City is identified as a “regional centre of economic importance”. Around 100,0005 people are employed there, and 60% of the workforce is drawn from outside the city.
3.3.2 Around 75,000 people are employed within South Cambridgeshire itself. Figure 1 shows the main employment areas in South Cambridgeshire outside Cambridge City.
Figure 1 - Main employment areas in South Cambridgeshire [6]
3.3.3 Both Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire have a “globally significant hi-tech and bio-tech economy, leading to strengths in creative industries and clean-tech”.[7] The County Council’s survey of hi-tech businesses and employers indicate that at the start of 2008:
- The hi-tech ‘community’ provided 51,400 jobs in the County overall.
- Almost three-quarters of the total are employed in Cambridge City and South Cambridgeshire - 36,800 in all.
- Of these, 20,175 are in South Cambridgeshire, representing around 27% of total employment in the district. [8]
3.3.4 However, these jobs are not equally distributed throughout the South Cambridgeshire area. The overwhelming majority of hi-tech and bio-tech jobs are in Cambridge City itself, or close to the north, south or south-east of the city. Analysis of data by parish indicates that fewer than 5,000 of those jobs were west of a north/south line drawn through the western edge of Cambridge City. Of those, one-third are based in Melbourn, 8 miles south-west of Cambridge City. Fewer than 1,000 hi-tech jobs are located in Cambourne and Bourn.
3.4 Future employment locations in South Cambridgeshire
3.4.1 The Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire Sustainable Development Strategy [9] anticipates several areas of “particular focus” across Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire for employment by 2031, and identifies 18 major current and proposed employment locations within South Cambridgeshire. Figure 2 shows the major employment centres (dark blue) with their expected growth (light blue).
Figure 2 - Major employment growth (light blue) in Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire [10]
3.4.2 The only areas identified west of Cambridge are Northstowe which will presumably be served primarily by its own local population11; Papworth Hospital, which is relocating in the near future; and Cambourne and the Bourn Airfield site. Cambourne and Bourn Airfield together are forecast to generate only 2,800 new jobs by 2031, although it is hard to see how this can be achieved, given the Cambourne business park's ongoing failure to meet growth expectations. If the losses at Papworth are taken into account, the net increase for the area is only 1,400 jobs.
3.4.3 There is a particular focus at the Biomedical Campus at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, which falls within the city’s southern fringes, and reflects the planned growth of this part of Cambridge. For example, AstraZeneca is moving its headquarters there in 2016, and plans to employ around 2,000 people: “AstraZeneca today announced that its new UK-based global research and development centre and corporate headquarters will be located at the Cambridge Biomedical Campus on the southern outskirts of the city. By 2016, the new site will house a highly-skilled workforce of approximately 2,000.” [12]
The Biomedical Campus expects to add 10,500 jobs, is the fastest growing area of employment locally, and is to the south of Cambridge City.
3.4.4 In the same period, it is predicted that the Genome Campus, Babraham Campus and Granta Park developments will create 5,200 new jobs. The Genome, Babraham and Granta Park locations are all to the south or south-east of the city.
3.5 Conclusion
There will be insufficient local employment in Cambourne and Bourn Airfield for the residents of any new development, and the predominant locations of future employment will remain in Cambridge City and to its north and south. The majority of Bourn Airfield residents would therefore be obliged to commute to Cambridge and beyond.
3.3.3 Both Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire have a “globally significant hi-tech and bio-tech economy, leading to strengths in creative industries and clean-tech”.[7] The County Council’s survey of hi-tech businesses and employers indicate that at the start of 2008:
- The hi-tech ‘community’ provided 51,400 jobs in the County overall.
- Almost three-quarters of the total are employed in Cambridge City and South Cambridgeshire - 36,800 in all.
- Of these, 20,175 are in South Cambridgeshire, representing around 27% of total employment in the district. [8]
3.3.4 However, these jobs are not equally distributed throughout the South Cambridgeshire area. The overwhelming majority of hi-tech and bio-tech jobs are in Cambridge City itself, or close to the north, south or south-east of the city. Analysis of data by parish indicates that fewer than 5,000 of those jobs were west of a north/south line drawn through the western edge of Cambridge City. Of those, one-third are based in Melbourn, 8 miles south-west of Cambridge City. Fewer than 1,000 hi-tech jobs are located in Cambourne and Bourn.
3.4 Future employment locations in South Cambridgeshire
3.4.1 The Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire Sustainable Development Strategy [9] anticipates several areas of “particular focus” across Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire for employment by 2031, and identifies 18 major current and proposed employment locations within South Cambridgeshire. Figure 2 shows the major employment centres (dark blue) with their expected growth (light blue).
Figure 2 - Major employment growth (light blue) in Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire [10]
3.4.2 The only areas identified west of Cambridge are Northstowe which will presumably be served primarily by its own local population11; Papworth Hospital, which is relocating in the near future; and Cambourne and the Bourn Airfield site. Cambourne and Bourn Airfield together are forecast to generate only 2,800 new jobs by 2031, although it is hard to see how this can be achieved, given the Cambourne business park's ongoing failure to meet growth expectations. If the losses at Papworth are taken into account, the net increase for the area is only 1,400 jobs.
3.4.3 There is a particular focus at the Biomedical Campus at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, which falls within the city’s southern fringes, and reflects the planned growth of this part of Cambridge. For example, AstraZeneca is moving its headquarters there in 2016, and plans to employ around 2,000 people: “AstraZeneca today announced that its new UK-based global research and development centre and corporate headquarters will be located at the Cambridge Biomedical Campus on the southern outskirts of the city. By 2016, the new site will house a highly-skilled workforce of approximately 2,000.” [12]
The Biomedical Campus expects to add 10,500 jobs, is the fastest growing area of employment locally, and is to the south of Cambridge City.
3.4.4 In the same period, it is predicted that the Genome Campus, Babraham Campus and Granta Park developments will create 5,200 new jobs. The Genome, Babraham and Granta Park locations are all to the south or south-east of the city.
3.5 Conclusion
There will be insufficient local employment in Cambourne and Bourn Airfield for the residents of any new development, and the predominant locations of future employment will remain in Cambridge City and to its north and south. The majority of Bourn Airfield residents would therefore be obliged to commute to Cambridge and beyond.
References:
3 Upper Cambourne Design and Access Statement, Oct 2010
4 Submission on SCDC Local plan 3.40
5 Cambridge City Annual Demographic and Socio-economic Report 2011
6 Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire Sustainable Development Strategy 2012, Appendix A
7 Cambridgeshire County Council’s Economic Assessment Document , Cambridge profile, p5, 2012
8 Employment in the Hi-Tech Community, Cambridgeshire County Council 2006
9 Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire Sustainable Development Strategy 2012, Section 3.5
10 Transport Strategy for Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire, 2012, Appendix A3
11 http://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/EFE867E8-DCF0-48FE-A508-9D2F7D9DB12A/0/SouthCambs.pdf
12 Press release from AstraZeneca, June 2013
3 Upper Cambourne Design and Access Statement, Oct 2010
4 Submission on SCDC Local plan 3.40
5 Cambridge City Annual Demographic and Socio-economic Report 2011
6 Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire Sustainable Development Strategy 2012, Appendix A
7 Cambridgeshire County Council’s Economic Assessment Document , Cambridge profile, p5, 2012
8 Employment in the Hi-Tech Community, Cambridgeshire County Council 2006
9 Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire Sustainable Development Strategy 2012, Section 3.5
10 Transport Strategy for Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire, 2012, Appendix A3
11 http://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/EFE867E8-DCF0-48FE-A508-9D2F7D9DB12A/0/SouthCambs.pdf
12 Press release from AstraZeneca, June 2013