Cambridge City Council has published its proposals for Cambridge’s civic quarter – an area consisting of the Guildhall, Corn Exchange, Market Square and surrounding public spaces in central Cambridge – following a summer engagement programme to hear what residents and visitors currently like, dislike, and would like to see in the area.

As custodian of these historic sites, the council needs to invest in their upkeep, and plans to do so in a way that will generate income and reduce operational costs as part of its wider plans to balance its budget.

The ambition is to ensure the city centre attractions are fit for a 21^st century society and offer a focal point for the city that residents can be proud of, while making the heritage buildings net zero and accessible and improving biodiversity, water efficiency and accessibility across the civic quarter area.

Proposal highlights

• Opening up the Guildhall. With a shared ground floor lobby with improved natural lighting and a café for the public, council staff and commercial tenants; increasing the use of the civic halls; and creating space for a cultural attraction – with the Museum of Cambridge considering a potential relocation to the Guildhall. The council’s office spaces will be consolidated, moving staff from Mandela House into the Guildhall, with commercial office space being provided on the upper floors to support the council’s plan to generate income
• For the Corn Exchange, the proposal is to increase event capacity to 2,000; transform the Parson’s Court passageway next to the Corn Exchange into a pedestrianised breakout space with food and drink offerings; add lifts to ensure full accessibility; improve back of house, Audio Visual and temperature control systems; and to get as close to net zero as possible within the building’s heritage constraints, including introducing air source heat pumps and solar panels
• For the Market Square, the proposals include introducing an accessible shared surface to promote and prioritise pedestrians; and a commitment to water efficiency and renewable energy. A lightweight canopy is also proposed to cover approximately half of the market, providing storage for permanent traders and offering covered seating for the general public. The other half would be available for additional trading during weekends and busier months, with demountable stalls, providing flexible space for occasional events. 

Cllr Simon Smith, Executive Councillor for Finance and Resources, said: “We are seeking to secure the long-term viability of the Guildhall, Market and Corn Exchange for heritage and environmental sustainability, with a range of public, commercial and cultural uses.

“The largest investment will be for the Guildhall so we can reduce the council's operating costs and generate commercial income to protect frontline services. 

“The council wishes to thank those residents, market traders and organisations who responded to the consultation on the initial proposals. Your comments have informed the brief for the detailed design stage for which a recommendation to proceed will be considered by councillors later this month.”

This project is still at an early stage, and councillors are grateful to all those who contributed to these designs – which are indicative and will continue to evolve depending on feedback from the public, market traders, council staff and local stakeholders, and financial constraints.

The updated proposals have been published ahead of being discussed by councillors at the council’s Strategy and Resources Scrutiny Committee on 21 November 2024. If the proposals are approved at the Committee on 21 November:

• a procurement process will take place for the appointment of a contractor by spring 2025
• design work would continue with a planning submission submitted in late summer 2025 following a second public consultation in spring 2025
• a capital budget of £55 million would be allocated to support the Civic Quarter project.

Funding

The indicative investment budget to refurbish the Guildhall is estimated at £41 million. The current net running cost of the Guildhall and Mandela House is around £2.4 million. This investment is estimated to generate a net saving for the council of £1 million per annum, after the cost of capital.  

The cost to redevelop the Corn Exchange, along with Parson’s Court, is estimated at £22 million. An initial budget of £4.5 million, if approved on 21 November, would enable completion of a full roof replacement and installation of solar panels on the roof. A new business plan for the Corn Exchange is proposed to consider additional funding for further phases of work.

The cost to make the proposed improvements to the market and surrounding public spaces is estimated at £12.6 million. If approved on 21 November, an initial capital investment of £3 million would support resurfacing works. A new business plan for the Market Square is proposed to consider further phases of work, including further funding opportunities, a Balance of Trade policy, and a management approach for a fully redeveloped market. 

From the £55 million proposed capital budget, £3.6 million is likely to be used for planning and £2.9 million on other project costs.

Projects of this size can take time to plan and deliver, and with multiple sites being considered it may be a number of years before all the works could be delivered. There is much more work to be done through design and planning before any work would start on site. Construction work is not expected to commence before October 2026 at the earliest.

Market traders are key stakeholders for this project, and the council has been engaging with traders on a regular basis throughout this project, including recent discussion about their preferred options for relocating temporarily, if required, for work to start on the Market Square. The majority of respondents (88%) supported the principle of remaining close to the Market Square, with little support expressed for an off-site solution. Therefore, this option would be pursued in the next stage of design, with further work to be done to develop a support package for market traders to ensure any temporary decant from the Market Square is as smooth as possible.

To keep up to date with this project, please visit the Civic Quarter project website and subscribe for updates. Or view the engagement report on the consultation platform.