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Project team promises to ‘breathe new life’ into Cambridge’s ‘civic quarter’




The architects tasked with breathing life into a ‘civic quarter’ for Cambridge have pledged there will be “no modern monstrosities” - and promised they have “lots of really good ideas” that will benefit the area for a century.

Cambridge City Council has appointed Cartwright Pickard to lead £1.25m consultancy work on “reimagining” the market square, Guildhall and Corn Exchange.

Market Square Cambridge. Picture: Keith Heppell
Market Square Cambridge. Picture: Keith Heppell

The aim is to attract people living in the city and visitors to spend more time in the market, Corn Exchange and city centre shops, and to make it a safe, accessible and welcoming place.

The council also wants to conserve and upgrade the grade II-listed Guildhall - its headquarters - and open it up more to the public, with £20million set aside for the building, which could be funded by selling its Mandela House offices.

No specific funding for the market square work has been announced.

Members of the public quizzed the new team about the plans at a public meeting last Wednesday (15 May).

Local historian Antony Carpen said earlier attempts to regenerate the market square had prompted a backlash and asked the project team how they would avoid that and instead create “something truly magnificent” that “really makes people go ‘wow’”.

James Pickard, from Cartwright Pickard, said he believed their job was to “get the best out of the existing buildings”.

He suggested there were “some really wonderful things” about the Guildhall, adding: “At this stage of its life it needs TLC, it needs renovating, it needs reconnecting with the people of Cambridge and I think we feel we have got a fantastic team to do that.

“We are not planning on putting any modern monstrosities anywhere. We do need to breathe new life into this sector and I think we have got lots of really good ideas to do that and give the Corn Exchange, Guildhall and market square another 100 years.”

Cambridge City Council, The Guildhall, Market Square, Cambridge
Cambridge City Council, The Guildhall, Market Square, Cambridge

Market trader Glenys Self stressed the importance of informing stallholders when and where they would be moved during any market square works as they cannot operate without certainty.

Cllr Rosy Moore (Lab, Coleridge) said she understood this and explained: “The project’s main aim is to ensure the future long-term success of the market. It is really important the design works for traders and shoppers.

“We also want to be able to keep the market running to enable traders to keep trading through the works, because if we have no market traders at the end, then we won’t have a market, and we won’t have succeeded, that is why traders are being prioritised.”

A Cambridge BID representative asked for the impact of any work on the shops surrounding the square to be considered.

Cllr Richard Swift (Lab, West Chesterton) said it was important whatever changes were made that the square “needs to be first and foremost a market square”.

Cllr Moore said the aim was to modernise it while maintaining the market. Previous suggestions have included introducing removable stalls enabling evening entertainment and holding night markets.

Another member of the public who uses a stick to walk said felt “very nervous” around the square and called for those riding e-bikes and e-scooters to be asked to dismount in the square.

She said: “You want everyone who goes to market square to feel safe. The pedestrian experience is absolutely critical.”

The Cambridge Corn Exchange. Picture: Keith Heppell
The Cambridge Corn Exchange. Picture: Keith Heppell

A project team member said they would be looking at the street hierarchy and how the shared space would work.

Further public meetings will take place to provide updates on the project, the council has said, and a formal consultation will take place later this year.



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