Planning permission was granted today for pharmaceuticals giant AstraZeneca to build a new global research and development centre and corporate headquarters in Cambridge.

It will be located on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus and will be home to around 2,000 employees when it becomes operational at the end of 2016.

Mene Pangalos, executive vice president for innovative medicines an early development at AstraZeneca, said: “We are very pleased with today’s decision by Cambridge City Council.

“Work is underway to prepare the site on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus and we look forward to beginning construction in the spring.

“Our aim is to create an open, welcoming and vibrant centre that will inspire our teams and partners to push the boundaries of scientific innovation for the benefit of patients.”

The Cambridge site will bring together AstraZeneca’s small molecule and biologics research and development activity, furthering opportunities to exploit the promise of small and large molecule combinations to make innovative medicines.

It will become the company’s largest centre for oncology research, as well as housing scientists focused on cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, respiratory, inflammation and autoimmune diseases and conditions of the central nervous system.

The site will also be home to a joint research centre, which will see Medical Research Council-supported researchers working side-by-side with AstraZeneca’s high throughput screening group.

Ahead of the new facility, more than 400 AstraZeneca staff have already relocated to interim facilities in Cambridge, at the Melbourn Science Park, Cambridge Science Park and Granta Park. This is in addition to the around 500 staff already located at the company’s MedImmune facility at Granta Park.