Green light for landmark project

An artist's impression of the Waveney Campus

Compulsory purchase of land for a landmark laboratory complex has been backed by the government.

Hazel Blears, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, authorised the order which would see the creation of Waveney Campus.

The centre will house employees from the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas).

The site, in Lowestoft, Suffolk, will also be a base for Waveney District and Suffolk County Councils.

Developed in Riverside Road, Waveney Campus is due to open in 2010 when Cefas staff from its old offices in Burnham-on-Crouch, Essex, and Lowestoft relocate to the new base.

Waveney District Council said it was negotiating with landowners to help secure fair settlements and alternative sites for businesses.

Ken Sale, of Waveney District Council, said: "We are now looking forwards to the next phase of the project and the construction of a building that our communities can take pride in and which will set the very highest standards of build quality and environmental sustainability."