Bio Science Park to become Bio Science Campus
The Leiden Bio Science Park (BSP) will become a real campus in the coming years, with more houses, and attractive places where scientists, students and entrepreneurs can meet to discuss their plans.
Exchanging ideas
‘Where people get together, that's where ideas are exchanged. We want to make sure that that happens,' commented Willem Te Beest, Vice-President of the Executive Board of Leiden University. Te Beest and alderman Robert Strijk were among those presenting the Masterplan for the Bio Science Park on 2 November.
More facilities
The central square with shops, a restaurant, a café, a dry cleaners and a child care centre are planned near to the University Sport Centre (USC) and the Gorlaeus Lab. The business park for life sciences and health will be more easily accessible, greener, safer, more attractive and more of a cohesive entity.
10.000 extra jobs
This is what the Masterplan predicts for the further development of the Leiden Bio Science Campus. The plan was presented on Monday by Leiden University, owner of the site, and the Municipality of Leiden. Urban planning experts have calculated that there is enough space for more companies on the park. The park currently has 50 businesses, with a total of 17,000 employees. That's more 1,700 more employees than four years ago. The expectation is that a further 10,000 jobs will be created.
More housing
There will also be more housing, in particular apartments for students, in addition to the existing student flats in the Boerhaave area and the other residential areas around the Corpus museum and and the Verbeekstraat. Te Beest described the new plan as 'promising'. Changes to the road layout in the Plesmanlaan, inicluding an overpass, will improve the accessibility of the campus. There will be four parking garages from which car drivers can walk to their office through an attractive green environment. Cyclists, (currently 6,000 a day) can cycle through the centre of the park via a wide, safe cycle path. There will also be a footpath.
More facilities
The area will be provided with all the things it is currently lacking: cohesion, good accessibility and facilities. Alderman Robert Strijk also has high hopes of a trial with an innovative form of public transport. Discussions are currently being held with the province on this. The University is investing heavily in the area - around 200 million euros in total - with the construction of the new Faculty of Science (W&N) that is due to be finished early next year, and the redeveloped Anatomy Building that is already in use.
Drug research
The campus is important for Leiden University because a lot of teaching goes on there, and because there are companies there that develop and produce medicines. The Faculties of Medicine, Science, and Social and Behavioural Sciences carry out research on medicines, and the products that arise from their research are developed further by the companies on the park. The University assists start-up companies.
Information evening in de stal
There is a period of six weeks, starting from 4 November, during which interested parties can submit their reactions to the plan. Anybody wanting to know more about the plan is welcome to attend the information meeting from on 25 November from 17.00 to 19.00 hrs. in De Stal, near to Naturalis.