Regional Infrastructure
Cambridge Ahead: the voice of city business
Cambridge Ahead is the member organisation dedicated to the city’s long-term sustainable, inclusive growth. It represents over 50 organisations, including Cambridge United Football Club, This Land and Eastern Education Group, with a collective local workforce of more than 40,000...
Leader “bitterly disappointed” at Government decision to scrap devolution deal
A £600m investment to create jobs, homes and infrastructure has been scrapped, after the Government halted Norfolk's devolution deal.
Norfolk County Council had secured an in-principle devolution deal in December 2023, to bring more powers and funding to the county...
Construction firm opens regional office as building booms
British construction materials group GRS has opened a new office in Suffolk to support the housebuilding and energy infrastructure boom in the East of England.
Bury St Edmunds is the new regional base for GRS as the firm looks to...
Major barriers in way of future growth
The new Government is committed to growth in Greater Cambridge, as shown in a recent letter to the Mayor and senior officials. But it’s not without its challenges, says William Nichols, Regional Director in Lanpro’s Cambridge office.
In its first...
New export service paves way for easier trade route to Ireland
A new logistics service is available for East Anglian firms trading with the Republic of Ireland.
The Department for Business and Trade estimates that exports to Ireland from East Anglia and the East of England totalled £1.6bn in 2023.
To support...
Our growth and prosperity depends on sustainable infrastructure
David Meek, CEO of sustainable homebuilder This Land, examines the issues that could make or break plans for ambitious development in Cambridge.
Local stakeholders, including leaders of the City and County Councils, are rightly questioning the deliverability of the government’s...
Groundwork laid for £600 million-plus boost in Norfolk
Norfolk County Council has unveiled its annual review report and delivery plan for 2024-25, showing its priorities for the year ahead.
County council leader, Councillor Kay Mason Billig, said, “I’m proud that the county council continues to deliver for the...
Major work starts on new bypass
Main construction work is underway on the new bypass for Long Stratton, after Norfolk County Council won approval of the full business case from government.
Councillor Graham Plant, cabinet member for highways, infrastructure and transport at Norfolk County Council, said,...
Major new life sciences development planned
Chesterford Research Park has appointed Glencar to undertake construction of its new Sidney Sussex Building, which is expected to deliver over 60,000 sq ft of laboratory and office space.
Owned by Aviva Investors, the global asset management business of Aviva...
Drivers in the East ‘unconvinced’ by electric vehicles
Motorists see the cost and charging infrastructure as main barriers to buying an EV vehicle.
Just over a quarter of people in the East of England are less likely to buy an electric vehicle than they were five years ago,...
Local Enterprise Partnership to continue under county councils
Business support and other economy-boosting services delivered by New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) are to continue following its integration into Norfolk and Suffolk County Councils.
Key functions and employees of the LEP transferred to the authorities on 1 April...
Go-ahead for £12m commercial space at Lynch Wood Park
Planning has been approved for the new 59,000 sq ft commercial development, designed to serve the growing community of start-ups and expanding businesses in Peterborough.
The development by FI Real Estate Management (FIREM) will support 125 full time equivalent jobs,...
Affordable lab space faces ‘perfect storm’
An imbalance in lab space supply and demand is inhibiting growth in the UK’s Golden Triangle, says Mark Glatman, Chief Executive of Abstract Mid-Tech, and developer of South Cambridge Science Centre.
Known as the ‘Golden Triangle’, Cambridge, Oxford and London...
Climate change poses massive threats to our ‘Thriving East’
Hot, dry and growing: new report reveals that our economically significant region is one of the most challenged to thrive.
The East of England (defined as the area Anglian Water serves) faces critical challenges over the next two decades, as...
Independent logistics firm expands to meet growing demand
A family-run logistics firm have announced they are expanding their reach with the addition of a multi-million-pound new warehouse in the East of England.
Independent logistics firm Hemisphere Freight Services is building a 243,511 sq ft warehouse at Suffolk Port...
‘On the buses’ are green to go
A Norwich bus depot is one of the first outside London to turn fully electric.
New underground cables and equipment have been installed at a local substation by UK Power Networks, upgrading the Roundtree Way depot to fully power electric...
Ambulance trust pilots ‘unbreakable connectivity’
The East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust is the first ambulance service to pilot a new technology that provides robust connectivity for its crews and vehicles - even in areas where traditional cellular connectivity is impossible.
The Hybrid Connex...
Hydrogen production at wastewater treatment centre will ‘fuel road transport’
The UK’s first initiative to produce fuel cell grade hydrogen using wastewater will begin with a project in Cambridgeshire this summer.Â
Hydrogen infrastructure specialists Element 2 will buy hydrogen produced by a new electrolyser at Anglian Water’s Milton Road, Cambridge...
Businesses invited to ‘share the load’ with greener deliveries
Cambridge’s first Net Zero Urban Consolidation Centre (UCC) has opened.
Launched by Cambridgeshire-based Welch’s Transport, this new venture will support the city’s sustainability goals by delivering clean, emissions-free last-mile deliveries.
It’s at the heart of the company’s new Net Zero logistics...
Cambridge cluster plans net zero route
Business leaders from Cambridge’s innovation cluster met recently to discuss practical strategies towards achieving net zero in their supply chains.
The ‘Driving Sustainability in Science Development’ event was hosted by Cambridge Network at Howard Group’s Unity Campus.
With a keynote speech...
Rural small firms strive to build ‘economic growth-belt’ against backdrop of inequalities
Small firms in rural areas face a unique set of challenges that will continue to stunt their growth, unless policymakers step in to make serious change, a new Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) report shows.
The Growth Belt: Supporting Rural...
‘Depressed’ Peterborough shopping centre gets new lease of life
A Nottingham property developer has purchased a ‘depressed’ out-of-town shopping centre near Peterborough with a view to kickstarting its fortunes.
Ortongate Shopping Centre, in Orton Goldhay, four miles south-west of Peterborough, was placed on the market earlier this year following a 15-year struggle...
Custom Powder Alloys launch set to deliver £500k boost for Goodfellow Cambridge
A top Huntingdon manufacturer is targeting over £500,000 of sales from its latest product launch.
Goodfellow Cambridge Ltd, which makes specialist metals and materials, has launched a new range of new customised alloy powders, and expects significant interest from customers...
Economic boost as work begins at Freeport East
Up to 13,500 new jobs will be created as Freeport East moves into the delivery phase.
The initiative, at Felixstowe and Harwich, received final government approval at the start of the year.
The freeport - one of only eight in the...
Could water capture solve irrigation crisis?
The Felixstowe Peninsular is one of the driest areas of the country, yet every year thousands of tonnes of fresh water are pumped away into the River Deben.
A collaborative project set up by farmers is reclaiming the water, storing...
£133m earmarked for Norfolk highways and transport over next year
Carbon-cutting transport schemes are set for a £29 million boost in Norfolk despite the tough financial climate.
Norfolk County Council’s Cabinet considered the carbon-cutting transport budget for the new financial year at a meeting earlier this month.
At £133m, the 2023/24...
World’s first tidal energy port proposed for The Wash
Plans have been revealed for a £2bn renewable energy and flood infrastructure project in northwest East Anglia, which - if given the go-ahead - could include a hydro-electric dam and the world’s first tidal powered deep sea container port.
The...
Retail giant takes first unit at Gateway 14
Gateway 14 has secured its first occupier, believed to be one of the largest ever in the East of England.
Gateway 14 Ltd, advised by development partner Jaynic, has submitted a reserved matters planning application for home and garden retail...
Clegg Construction re-appointed to Scape’s Regional Construction Framework (RCF)
Clegg Construction has been re-appointed to a leading construction framework designed to facilitate the delivery of high-quality construction services for public sector projects in the Midlands and East of England.
The company has been selected as one of eight contractors...
Supply chain issues top East Anglia business concerns yet businesses continue to hire and boost pay
Supply chain issues and the ongoing impact of Brexit are cited as the biggest threats facing East Anglia’s mid-sized businesses over the next six months, alongside record inflation and cost of living crisis
Despite this, a third of...
