E-newsletter: 5 July 2010

E-newsletter Edition One

 The Hive - Creating a Buzz in Cambridgeshire

Proposals for the first phase of a new multi-million pound education and enterprise park known as The Hive have been submitted to County Council planners.

The first building proposed is the SmartLIFE Low Carbon Centre which is a joint venture between Cambridgeshire County Council and Cambridge Regional College, designed to support businesses looking to adapt to a low carbon economy.

The proposed new centre will teach the workforce skills needed for building low carbon homes and installing renewable energy systems. It will provide new jobs and reduce the impact of CO2 locally.

Subject to the planning process, it is hoped the facilities will open at the end of 2011 on a near two acre site on King’s Hedges Road, Cambridge. The eco-excellent building is expected to cost £2 million.

You can view the planning application and comment here.

The Hive is an enterprise and education park for a generation of change.

What will make it really different to other business parks is that its overarching focus will be on business that's good for society and the environment.

 The Hive will work with, and for the benefit of the whole community:

• Professionals, technicians and businesses working in construction – designers, engineers, builders, plumbers, electricians and the like – who want to update their skills to adapt to a low-carbon economy
• Young people looking for vocational training in modern, sustainable construction techniques
• Businesses set up to tackle a social or environmental need, and the people who create and run them
• Employers who need training or staff development solutions for their staff

The first facilities will open in 2011 at a 1.92 acre site north of Cambridge city centre on Kings Hedges Road between the Science Park and Orchard Park.

The Hive is an insightful partnership between Cambridgeshire County Council, Cambridge Regional College and Future Business. It has also been part-funded by Housing Growth Fund money allocated by Cambridgeshire Horizons and its partners, and the East of England Development Agency.