Groundbreaking ceremony marks official start on site for Mill Yard development
A major milestone was reached on Monday 7 April as local councillors, residents, members of the community and the development project team all attended an official groundbreaking ceremony for Mill Yard; the new mixed-use neighbourhood on Devonshire Road from Railpen, and its development partner, Socius. Attendees were invited to witness the official site groundbreaking, tour the site, and meet the teams delivering the project.
Mill Yard is located on the site of the former Travis Perkins depot and is a short walk from Mill Road and Cambridge railway station. Currently under construction by lead contractor Morgan Sindall Construction, once complete, the development will offer 110,000 sq. ft of flexible workspaces, 70 build-to-rent apartments, a 2,100 sq. ft crèche, a small number of hospitality and retail units and an outdoor pavilion for community events.
The neighbourhood will provide 1.55 acres of publicly accessible green space, with over 120 trees, edible and ornamental planting and a play street for younger members of the community to enjoy. A focal point of the gardens will be a new community pavilion, designed by George King Architects, to provide a space for workers, residents and members of the public to meet and connect with nature in the centre of the city. Mill Yard will also feature a perimeter running track and offer secure cycle parking and exceptional end of journey facilities at ground floor level.
Building further upon its commitments to sustainability and environmental stewardship, once complete, the buildings will be all electric, using a combination of on and off-site renewable energy sources, with no fossil fuels used. Morgan Sindall Construction has employed its Intelligent Solutions model of construction to minimise Mill Yard’s environmental footprint, with 99% of the waste generated being diverted from landfill and a potential embodied carbon saving goal of 5,013 tonnes has been set. The carbon saving target has been calculated utilising the digital carbon calculation tool CarboniCa. The developers are also targeting a 280% biodiversity net gain by installing bat, bird, and bee boxes, alongside green roofs, hedgehog habitats, and evergreen planters.
Richard Van Lente, Senior Asset and Development Manager at Railpen, commented:
Bringing the community in to celebrate this milestone with us is an exciting step in Mill Yard’s journey. Targeting completion in January 2027, this amazing new place will soon be open for everyone to enjoy, and we’re glad Railpen can continue to be a part of providing spaces that deliver sustainable growth in the region in a way which benefits the community.”
Doug Higgins, Development Director at Socius, said:
Breaking ground at Mill Yard is a great moment to reflect on how much we have achieved in delivering a new kind of neighbourhood for Cambridge. This location will provide much-needed, high-quality workspace for SMEs, address the need for more housing in the city centre, and increase access to vibrant green spaces designed for the whole community. With sustainability at its core, Mill Yard is set to become a benchmark for future urban regeneration in the city.”
Jamie Shearman, Area Director for Morgan Sindall Construction in Cambridgeshire, said:
Mill Yard’s groundbreaking ceremony marks a key moment in the creation of this landmark regeneration project, which promises to generate significant benefits for the local area. We’re looking forward to delivering these much-needed new commercial, housing and community facilities while continuing our close, collaborative, and sustainably focused working relationship with Railpen and Socius.”
ENDS
Notes to editors
For more information, please contact David Hartley, Conscious Communications, 01223 421 835, [email protected].