Plans are expected to be submitted later this year for the first phase of the "major" expansion of the Wellcome Genome Campus near Saffron Walden.

Representatives of the developer have said they want the expanded campus in Hinxton to be welcoming to the wider existing community, as well as creating a new community within the site.

Outline planning permission for the expansion was granted in 2020, and included 150,000m2 of employment space, focused on providing science and research space.

The plans also included 1,500 new homes, a hotel, a primary school, restaurants, cafes, and bars.

The new homes are planned to be for people working at the expanded campus to help reduce the need for travelling to and from the site.

Representatives of the developer confirmed to councillors at a meeting of South Cambridgeshire District Council’s planning committee on May 19, that the proposed facilities, including the swimming pool, will be open to people who do not live or work in the campus site.

Nigel Hugil, from Urban and Civic, said the company was "absolutely determined" to make the development "the best that it can be".

Councillors heard updates on some of the changes that had been made to the plans since 2020, including moving the buildings back from the A1301 rather than having them up to the edge of the road.

Some other layout adjustments have also been made, and the company is planning to have an agroforestry area to the north of the campus, rather than fields as had been originally planned.

The design code does not provide more detailed plans of what the individual buildings will look like.

Councillors also heard that the company is expecting to bring forward applications for the first phase of the development in the autumn of this year.

Councillor Peter McDonald said he was pleased to hear about the plans to move and keep the existing mature trees, as well as planting new younger trees.

He said: "This is the biggest thing to happen in the community for the next 25 years.

"Overall the community does welcome what the campus is trying to do, people are aware of the world class work going on there.

"People are very keen as much as possible to participate and support, so long as they are kept informed during the process."

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Councillor Dr Richard Williams asked if there was more information going to be made available about the mix of sizes of homes planned.

The representatives said that as the housing would be managed by Genome and made available to people working at the campus, it was therefore planned to cater the housing on offer to what is needed.

They said the first housing plans that are brought forward will be designed to meet the existing need that had been identified, and would include more flats, but said after that they expected to bring forward plans for family homes.

Councillor Dr Martin Cahn asked whether there were any plans for community and cultural centres within the development.

The representatives said they did plan to include space for this and were currently working with planning officers to find appropriate locations for them.