The Wellcome Trust’s decision to abandon plans to build a biotechnology business park at Hinxton, Cambridgeshire, has come as a setback to the department of trade and Industry (DTI).
The DTI is keen to see clusters of knowledge-based industries develop. But the trust is now looking overseas after John Prescott, deputy prime minister, rejected the full application last month following two public inquiries.
Wellcome was told it could build a 24,000 sq m (258,342 sq ft) extension to its genetic research centre at Hinxton Hall but it was not prepared to accept this watered down version of its original 40,000 sq m (430,571 sq ft) plan. It is now looking at taking the scheme overseas, possibly Germany. Hinxton Hall’s chief executive Michael Morgan said he hoped this case was just an aberration in the light of the government’s high-technology growth policies.
Financial Times 10/09/99 page 10
The Daily Telegraph 10/09/99 page 35 (City Comment)
