Previously called Devonshire Gardens, Mill Yard is the first of Railpen’s developments in Cambridge to come to market, and has been rebranded to reflect its position on the vibrant Mill Road, close to the heart of the city. Mill Yard comprises 110,000 sq ft of prime offices, 70 build-to-rent apartments, a series of residential former railway cottages, a 2,100 sq ft crèche, a community events pavilion, and a cluster of retail units across seven buildings set around a 1.55-acre public park.
The design, originally conceived by Buckley Gray Yeoman and delivered by RH Partnership architects, prioritises creating a high-quality and accessible experience for workers, residents and the surrounding community. At the heart of Mill Yard is a pavilion designed by George King Architects that will serve as a focal point, with the offices, residential and ground floor amenities opening onto it and the park. Mill Yard also benefits from a perimeter running track, and the only major office development in the city with all the secure cycle parking and end of journey facilities at ground floor.
The broad variety of office space across three interconnected buildings has been designed to appeal to SMEs, as well as established corporations, in the innovation and tech sectors, offering a sense of community on-site that will appeal to employees, as well as the capacity to upsize within Mill Yard. A key feature of the offices are four terraces with views across Cambridge city centre, while the upper floors have pitched roofs with exposed timber structures and skylights, creating bright and airy studio-like spaces.
Railpen and Socius are targeting a range of ESG and wellbeing accreditations for Mill Yard, including BREEAM ‘Outstanding’, a NABERS 5-star rating, and Platinum ratings for WiredScore, SmartScore, AirScore and Cycle Heart, as well as EPC grade A. The design, materials and operational efficiency of the development will achieve a significantly lower Energy Use Intensity than the industry norm, with the team aspiring to 55kWh/m2/y, or 58% less energy used compared to the benchmark of 130kWh/m2/y.
Richard Van Lente, Senior Asset and Development Manager at Railpen, commented: “Mill Yard is the first stage in realising our significant commitment to Cambridge, supporting the government’s growth agenda while delivering secure long-term returns for our members. It will form part of an ecosystem of highly sustainable, innovative and complementary developments that will help the city, its businesses and communities thrive.”
Doug Higgins, Development Director at Socius, said: “Mill Yard brings something very different to Cambridge, combining the best attributes of business parks with the accessibility and vibrancy of a city centre location. It will play a key role in addressing the pent-up demand for high-quality space among SMEs in the city, and will boast an impressive public realm with sustainability at its core.”
Mill Yard forms part of Railpen’s ongoing investments and developments in Cambridge, which is part of its strategy of supporting the UK’s economic and social growth through the clustering of assets in key sectors and locations. Mill Yard will be joined initially by Botanic Place, Railpen’s 500,000 sq ft headquarters office development, which is set to be the most intelligent and energy efficient workspace outside of London, with a number of other significant developments elsewhere in the city currently in for planning.
Find our more about Railpen's Cambridge portfolio at RailpenCambridge.com
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