NorthWest Biotherapeutics Inc (NWBO)

[Lykiri]

Consultation: Greater Cambridge Local Plan Issues & Options 2020

The closing date for receipt of comments is 24 February 2020 at 5pm.

Question 24. How important do you think continuing economic growth is for the next Local Plan?

Form ID: 50599
Respondent: NW Bio and its UK subsidary Aracaris Capital Ltd
Agent: Carter Jonas
• Question 24
• Supporting information

How important do you think continuing economic growth is for the next Local Plan?

Very important

Please add any comments and ideas

Very important. Continued economic growth is vital for the next Local Plan in order ensuring that Greater Cambridge continues to be recognised as a centre for research and high technology employment, with the significant and varied employment opportunities that this creates for residents. The Mill Lane Site, Sawston is owned by Northwest Biotherapeutics (NW Bio), a biotechnology company developing novel immune therapies to treat cancer. NW Bio’s DCVax®-L immune therapy for Glioblastoma brain cancer is in the NIHR's Priority Portfolio and was the first product to receive PIM designation as a Promising Innovative Medicine by the Ministry of Health. NW Bio currently has offices in London but is planning to develop a head office in Sawston, where they are working together with Advent BioServices to develop the Vision Centre on the former Spicers site. Advent is one of only a small number of companies in the world that specializes in technology/process development and advanced manufacturing for cell and tissue therapies for cancer and other diseases. The Vision Centre is located across the A1301 (a 5 or 10 minute walk) from the proposed residential site on Mill Lane. The Vision Centre is an advanced manufacturing facility that will produce cell therapy products for the UK and for export to the European Union and worldwide. The development of the Vision Centre will involve the creation of up to 450 new high-value jobs across a wide range of skill levels in phases over the next few years. A key factor which will affect the pace at which personnel can be hired for these jobs will be the availability of housing nearby to the Vision Centre. A proportion of Vision Centre employees will have to live close to the site because producing and managing living cell products requires unpredictable and varied hours (e.g. when tissues are received from hospitals for processing at any time of the day or evening). The jobs at the Vision Centre will be for a range of employees, from school leavers through to PhD level, with a private apprenticeship programme also under development. This will result in increased employment and learning opportunities within Sawston and South Cambridgeshire as a whole which will have benefits for social inclusion. As a result of these requirements NW Bio are promoting the Mill Lane Site, Sawston for the development of up to 225 residential dwellings, some of which could provide the essential housing for key employees of the Vision Centre. The need that NW Bio have identified for adequate nearby housing for personnel who must be “on call” for the Vision Centre (similar to doctors being “on call” for a hospital), and the fact that this need will be a significant factor in the pace at which NW Bio and Advent BioServices can hire personnel and grow the operations in the Vision Centre, clearly highlight the intrinsic links that there are between economic and housing growth in Greater Cambridge.

https://consultations.greatercambridgeplanning.org/document/forms/37625/5