WS Atkins is to provide structural and building services engineering for an £18.2m PFI project, led by Kajima to develop the Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food’s site in Cambridge.

The existing building, covering 120,000 sq m (30 acre), was constructed during the Second World War and the PFI project will enable MAFF to replace the ageing buildings with 15,000 sq m (160,000 sq ft) of modern office accommodation. Two buildings will be provided - one for MAFF staff and the other for the Inland Revenue, Valuation Office and Appeals Service. The remainder of the site – in Brooklands Avenue – will be used for housing under the Local Plan.

WS Atkins project manager, Stuart Allinson, said: “We are pleased to be working on this project with Kajima, as it will afford better conditions to the occupiers of the new buildings than are currently provided by the existing buildings. The design will be carried out with environmental considerations as a high priority and it is aimed to achieve a BREEAM ‘excellent’ rating for the project. In addition, this project continues our long standing relationship with MAFF, for the provision of consultancy services for their building portfolio.”

Jessica Jarlvi