Cambridge’s Mill Yard reaches new heights with major topping out milestone

A key milestone has been reached in the development of Mill Yard in Cambridge, as MY Central – the scheme’s main office building – has officially topped out.

The moment was marked by Railpen, development partner Socius and lead contractor Morgan Sindall Construction, who are working together to deliver the £180 million mixed-use campus.

Located on Devonshire Road, the Mill Yard scheme will transform a central part of Cambridge into a sustainable new neighbourhood. The finished development will include three office buildings – MY North, South and Central – along with two residential buildings and a nursery, all arranged around a publicly accessible park.

MY Central, a five-storey office building at the heart of the site, reached its topping out on Tuesday 10th March. To mark the occasion, members of the project team and local community visited the site and viewed the scheme from the newly completed roof.

When complete, the development will provide around 110,000 sq ft of flexible workspace, 70 build-to-rent homes, a 2,100 sq ft nursery, as well as a restaurant, café and bakery, and an outdoor pavilion for community events.

The workplaces will overlook landscaped gardens and are designed to support collaboration and innovation. Sustainability is a key priority, with targets including NABERS Design for Performance 5-star and BREEAM Outstanding ratings.

All buildings at Mill Yard will be fully electric, powered by a combination of on-site and off-site renewable energy sources. Through its Intelligent Solutions approach and use of the CarboniCa digital tool, Morgan Sindall has reduced environmental impact, diverting 99 per cent of waste from landfill and aiming to achieve an embodied carbon saving of more than 5,000 tonnes.

The project also aims for a 280 per cent biodiversity net gain, with features such as bat, bird and bee boxes, green roofs, hedgehog habitats and evergreen planting.

In total, the development will offer 1.55 acres of publicly accessible green space, including more than 120 trees and a mix of edible and ornamental planting. The gardens will feature a community pavilion designed by George King Architects, along with a perimeter running track, secure cycle parking and end-of-journey facilities.

Mill Yard is due for completion in 2027 and forms part of Railpen’s wider Cambridge innovation cluster.