Ely Junction rail upgrade seen as ‘single most important’ key to region’s growth
A £466m upgrade to the rail bottleneck at Ely Junction is the key to growth in the region, unlocking ‘at least’ 32,000 jobs and sustaining Cambridge’s buoyant life sciences sector, according to a new report. Launched at the UKREiiF 2026 national infrastructure event in Leeds last week, the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority says that unlocking Ely Junction is the ‘single most important intervention’ needed to sustain what it describes as the UK’s fastest-growing innovation economy. It seeks to tackle a Victorian-era pinch-point where five rail lines converge at Ely, restricting both passenger services and freight capacity. The authority says an upgrade would deliver a 5:1 return on economic benefits, while ‘transforming connectivity’ with more frequent rail services between Cambridge and key centres including Peterborough, Norwich, Ipswich and Stansted Airport as well as shifting freight from road to rail. It notes that the Cambridge Biomedical Campus and Wellcome Genome Campus will expand by 32,000 roles over the next decade and to keep pace, the city needs the infrastructure connecting it to talent across the region. Mayor Paul Bristow said: “Unlocking Ely Junction is critical to delivering our ambition to triple the regional economy by 2050….. At UKREiiF, we are setting out a clear, investable proposition to remove this barrier and accelerate growth across the East. We have strong cross-party support for this scheme, and if given the green light, partners are ready to move at pace to deliver.” The Ely Area Capacity Enhancements as the ‘Growth Intersection’ report was highlighted at a panel event, ‘The Role of Rail in Scaling Life Sciences and Technology Corridors’.
Funding boost to train next generation of construction workers
Up to £11m of government funding is to go into training the next generation of construction workers in the East of England and tackle skills shortages in key areas such as design, bricklaying and plumbing. It forms part of the government’s £625m Construction Skills Package which aims to train up 60,000 skilled workers by 2029. As well as creating tens of thousands of placements on building sites across the country, it will support schools and colleges to deliver V Levels and other new vocational qualifications. A new sector-led group of providers has been created to shape and share best practice for the new qualifications and which includes Suffolk New College, Harlow College and Saffron Walden County High. Skills minister Jacqui Smith said: “Our landmark vocational qualifications and placements will create a strong pipeline of workers by equipping young people with the real-world skills that employers need and that will fuel the jobs of the future.”
Norfolk-based restaurant kitchen installer boosts capacity with new hq
A kitchen installer and maintenance provider business, R-Tec Services, is targeting a 20 per cent annual increase in turnover after doubling the size of its hq in King’s Lynn. The business recently completed a move to a larger 6,700 sq ft premises outside the town with support from a £150,000 growth guarantee scheme loan from Lloyds. R-Tec works with national brands, including Nando’s and Wagamama, and its 22-strong team delivers round-the-clock maintenance support to 3,000 restaurants nationally. The new site has allowed it to double its fabrication space for products and almost triple its storage capacity. Simon Minister, relationship manager at Lloyds, said: “R Tec Services and Innovation plays a crucial behind the scenes role for many of the country’s best-known pubs and restaurants. This has underpinned its impressive growth in recent years, but rather than standing still, the business is focused on building further momentum. The new headquarters provides the additional capacity the business needs today while supporting its long-term growth ambitions.”
Historic landmark retail site in Ipswich brought to market
A landmark three-storey retail premises on Ipswich’s main shopping thoroughfare which was formerly a WH Smith and a historic hotel is being brought to market by agents Penn Commercial. The site, at 12 Westgate Street operated as the Crown & Anchor Hotel for 150 years and was re-developed for retail use in the 1990s. It now includes Clarks and Starbucks, together with two smaller units to the rear. Close to M&S, Clarks, Primark, Caffè Nero, Starbucks, JD Sports and other national retailers, the property attracts a high footfall. It retains the façade from the original hotel and provides extensive retail space on the ground and first floors, along with storage, staff facilities and ancillary space on the upper floors. Rachael Jackson of Penn Commercial said: “… we are confident that this property will prove attractive to retail operators wishing to take advantage of this landmark location on one of Ipswich’s busiest retail pitches – especially given the additional footfall that Ipswich Town Football Club’s recent promotion to the Premier League will generate.” The building is being marketed for a longstanding client and can be let as a whole or could be divided into separate units and is available from late July on a long-term lease.
Record applications for Cambridge programme to help life sciences ventures become ‘investor-ready’
A record number of applications have been received this year for Accelerate@Babraham, a Cambridge support programme to help early-stage life science ventures grow and thrive. Six new ventures have been chosen for the scheme this year: BASE Rx; Elarna Bio; EVolution Therapeutics; Ribogenyx (Rib-X); Semper-B Therapeutics and Switch Biologics. Programme manager Jenny Hirst said: “The Accelerate@Babraham programme is designed to do exactly what its name suggests – accelerate the journey of early-stage founders. Through the dedication and expertise of everyone involved, we help companies become lab-ready, investor-ready and pitch-ready, equipping them with the foundations they need to grow and succeed.” The scheme is backed by industry majors and experts across the Cambridge cluster and benefits from being part of the wider Babraham Campus’ ecosystem of over 60 companies, 2000 employees and 300 academic researchers.
Separately Wyboston Lakes Resort, west of Cambridge, has been named as one of the Best Places to Work in the UK, in the Sunday Times 2026 edition of the report. The resort, with a hotel, conference and training centres, features in the Top 100 Big Organisations list.
Photo: Babraham Research Campus’ Accelerate@Babraham Cohort 2026
Norwich-based group named top insurance broker for online visibility and reputation
Norwich-based Alan Boswell Group has been named as the UK’s leading insurance broker for online visibility and reputation, according to an industry report. A UK broker index from Foliume assesses firms’ digital performance across five key areas: client voice, digital presence, credentials, scale, and longevity. With a total score of 81.8 – over 10 points ahead of its nearest competitor – Alan Boswell Group secured the top national ranking. Lee Boswell, marketing director at Alan Boswell Group, said: “This is strong independent validation of the work we’ve been doing across the business. It’s not just about marketing output. It reflects how our teams engage with clients, build trust, and consistently deliver excellent service across every touchpoint.” With over 450 staff, the group has offices across East Anglia, Cambs and Lincolnshire and allows clients to choose how to interact with them; online, over the phone, or in person.
See Profile Alan Boswell Group
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