Geographically the distance from Littleport to Waterbeach is about 17 miles but for businessman Rick Parisi it must seem a lifetime away.
For his decision to buy 10 acres of former Ministry of Defence land at Waterbeach has seen the Littleport company he founded in the 1980s flourish.
His creation of the Cambridge Innovation Park has been a success and 200 guests enjoyed looking round their new 30,000 sq ft building, Blenheim House.
Among the guests to take a look at the rapidly growing Paragon Land & Estates venture were Mayor James Palmer and Lucy Frazer, the MP for SE Cambs.
Blenheim House has a range of self-contained office space from 1,000 to 10,000 sq ft that can be adjusted to suit specific requirements.
A company spokesman said that in planning the building “we recognised the importance of bringing on high quality amenity space to complement and enhance the overall offering at the park”.
To this end collaborative partnerships have been signed with a fitness club and beauty spa, a bistro and in the near future there were will be day nursery for up to 50 children.
“Already a central hub of activity The Hive Café offers an excellent selection of ‘grab and go’ food options throughout the day,” said the spokesman.
Mr Parisi said: “Our ethos is all about providing a better working lifestyle and we are confident that these new partnerships will enable us to enhance our current facilities.
“They will further develop the park into a space that is not only the perfect place for high tech companies to innovate and collaborate but also the ideal environment within which to relax and unwind.
“We very much see these developments being for the benefit of the whole community, not just for those working on site at the park, particularly as Waterbeach itself develops and grows over the next few years.”
He said: “Our aim is that Cambridge Innovation Park becomes an integral part of the wider community, offering amenities to all that enhance the quality of life of Park tenants, their visitors and Waterbeach residents alike.”
Blenheim House will be ready for occupation in the next few weeks, with around half of the space already pre-let.
One special guest at the opening ceremony was Titan the Robot who entertained visitors as they tucked into canapés and drinks.
Connectivity is a key to success, Mr Parisi believes, and shuttle buses to bring in workers are being discussed.
He is also overseeing housing developments at the former Waterbeach barracks site
“With phase two of the development, we’ll be introducing shuttle buses to connect. “The whole area will be buzzing. Waterbeach is set to increase to a size equivalent to Ely over the next 20 years.
“The Waterbeach Barracks development will include a new train station which will be closer to Cambridge Innovation Park than Cambridge North, plus there will be a park and ride site almost adjacent to us. It’s a nice cycle ride along the towpath into Cambridge city.”
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