The Cambridge Civic Quarter planning application for Market Square received approval by a three-to-two vote on 2 September at a Cambridge City Council planning committee meeting, completing the consent process for all three historic sites and allowing the £92 million regeneration programme to move into its delivery phase.
Three historic sites, one contested vote
The Civic Quarter project, conceived by Cambridge City Council in 2024, covers three buildings of layered historical significance in the city centre. Trading has taken place at Market Square since the Middle Ages; the Guildhall site has functioned as a centre for local democracy for more than 800 years; and the Corn Exchange, originally built in 1842, has operated as a music and events venue for most of its life.
Planning consent for the Guildhall and Corn Exchange, both Grade II-listed, was granted in March, when both full planning approval and listed building consent were confirmed at the same committee meeting. Market Square was deferred from that session to address concerns over logistics and access, and councillors raised further objections in September around heritage impact and the viability of market traders. Planning officers concluded that the impact to the site’s heritage was ‘neutral’, and the committee voted in line with that recommendation.
Cambridge City Council has been building out the project budget in stages. In November 2024, a further budget of £3 million was approved to develop detailed design proposals and host further public engagement during 2025. Then, in October 2025, a capital budget of up to £4.4 million was approved to continue the work over the following year and to fund the planning applications submitted for the Guildhall, Corn Exchange, Market Square and associated public realm works in autumn 2025. The overall cost of the regeneration could reach £92 million, according to the BBC.
Cambridge Civic Quarter planning: what the approved works include
Across the three sites, the scope is broad. The Guildhall will be used for both council and commercial office space. The Corn Exchange is set to be upgraded to improve sound quality and accessibility. Market Square will be made more accessible, with landscaping aimed at creating a greener civic space in the historic city centre. The refurbishment of a Grade II-listed fountain at the centre of the site is included, alongside new lighting and street furniture. The market itself will feature 97 long-life stalls.
A separate application to establish a temporary market to operate during construction on the existing Market Square has also been submitted, though that application does not involve the design team.
Carbon and heritage: the design rationale
Cartwright Pickard, which operates a studio in Cambridge and led the design consortium across all three applications, has framed both the Guildhall and Corn Exchange refurbishments in explicit carbon terms. Director David Roberts said the two schemes ‘drastically reduce energy use and carbon emissions’, producing spaces ‘fit for the future’. Roberts described the broader approach as balancing ‘respect for Cambridge’s remarkable heritage with bold, innovative and sustainable design’, and set out an ambition to create ‘a Civic Quarter that serves as an inclusive and vibrant hub for the city council, residents and visitors alike.’
The project team is substantial. Consulting engineer is Conisbee. MEP, acoustics, sustainability and architectural lighting are handled by Max Fordham, with landscape architecture by LDA Design. Carter Jonas acted as planning consultant, KMC Transport as transport consultant, and Turley as heritage consultant. ARUP is fire engineer, Theatreplan the theatre consultant, and Building Workspace Solutions the principal designer.
Cambridge City Council cabinet member for inclusive economy and skills Antoinette Nestor said: ‘Now all three parts of the project have received planning approval, we are in a good position to consider the latest proposals over the coming months and make final decisions about how to bring forward investment in these much-loved city centre assets in a way that works for residents, businesses, market traders and visitors to our city.’ Those final investment decisions are now the next formal stage before construction can begin.
