Business in East Anglia

New landmark office and lab building topped out in Cambridge

A new landmark office building at Peterhouse Technology Park in Cambridge, The Optic, has been topped out by property group British Land.

Due to complete in February 2025, the building (right) will provide over 95,000 sq ft of high-spec office and lab-enabled space. The site, south east of Cambridge, aims to become a hub for science and tech businesses with flexible floorplate layouts to accommodate growing businesses. Gareth Roberts, head of development for innovation and life science at British Land, said: “Our topping out ceremony at The Optic marks a significant milestone in the ...

Buoyant start-ups point to ‘sizeable appetite’ for new business in region

The number of new businesses set up in East Anglia by entrepreneurs in March was the highest of any region outside London although debts owed by firms in liquidation have increased sharply. Figures from the Eastern branch of invsolvency trade body R3 show that there were 8,183 new businesses started in East Anglia in March. Although this was below the level recorded in February, R3 says it ‘still indicates a sizeable appetite for new business in the region and opportunities for growth.’

R3 Eastern chair Hayley Watson of McTear Williams & Wood said: “It’s good to see local entrepre...

Planners give go-ahead for major science & innovation campus south of Cambridge

Planning approval has been granted for a major new science and innovation development, Cambridge Discovery Campus, on a 50 acre site two miles south of the city. It will provide 343,000 sq ft of space for small to medium sized ventures over six detached, laboratory-enabled buildings.

The scheme by Bridgemere, a developer, and Foundation Capital Ventures, will also include an amenity building overlooking sports fields to be shared with the local community and a 30-acre country park. The project will be part of Cambridge's life science cluster and located next to the new Southwest park & ...

Finance directors turn more optimistic but retain ‘defensive’ stance

Optimism among chief financial officers at the country's largest firms has risen for the third quarter running. But whilst corporate risk appetite has risen slightly, CFOs retain a ‘defensive’ stance with cost-cutting and the need to increase cashflow seen as priorities.

According to Deloitte’s latest CFO survey taken in mid-March, a net 17 percent of CFOs are more positive about the financial prospects of their business than they were three months earlier. The share reporting ‘high or very high levels of uncertainty’ fell to 36 per cent, down from 77 per cent in mid-2022. CFO...

Accountancy firm with ‘rich history’ joins leading mid-market practice with focus on SMEs

Specialist accountancy firm Scrutton Bland, which has offices in Ipswich, Colchester and Bury St Edmunds, has become part of Sumer, a leading mid-market accountancy practice . The firm is joining Sumer, a significant challenger in the sector, to scale and access the latest technologies and to enhance its client proposition. Scrutton Bland is a firm chartered accountants, tax and business advisers with 150 employees and whose areas of expertise includes: agriculture, charities, construction, technology, and education. Sumer has nine regional hubs, 45 offices and over 1,200 staff and has...