Council wants views on £20m city centre plan

The council are looking to invest in the Guildhall which is currently used as their headquarters, the Corn Exchange and Market Square

A council has called for people to have their say on proposals for a £20m investment in the city.

Cambridge City Council is proposing a range of improvements to the Guildhall, the Corn Exchange and Market Square to help increase visitor numbers.

The final proposals will be presented to the council in November.

Simon Smith, executive councillor for finance and resources, said: “By working with the community and stakeholders, we will find out what people want... so they better serve people and businesses."

The council's plans for the Guildhall include making the grade II listed building a more open and accessible place which Simon Smith, labour councillor previously said, would make it fit "for the next 100 years".

The building is currently used as the council's headquarters and they hope improvements will create "modern flexible office facilities" and "improve staff retention."

Improvements to the market square include making it a more accessible, attractive and welcoming space to visit and shop both during the daytime and evening.

James Littlewood believes the Market Square in Cambridge is "crying out for investment"

Speaking to BBC Radio Cambridgeshire James Littlewood, chief executive of Cambridge Past, Present and Future, said the Market Square had been looking tired for years.

"We've got a fountain which doesn't have any water in it - it's full of cigarette butts and rubbish," he said.

"We've got a bunch of different compacting bins of different sizes, shapes and colours that are filthy and rusty... and then there's a nice area they've created where you can sit and have your food, in between the bins and the toilets.

"This is not the sort of wonderful place that we really want in the centre of Cambridge - it's really crying out for investment."

Design teams will work to make the Corn Exchange a more modern and appealing venue and the council will continue to make improvements.

The council will look at using the building to explore commercial opportunities and find ways to reduce its operational costs.

'Better serve people'

The £20m for the refurbishments would come from the council's existing general reserve.

The authority said it still needed to make £11.1m of savings over the next five years, but in a worst-case scenario would potentially need to save £19m.

The council's strategy and resources scrutiny committee has agreed it would invite design and consultancy teams to produce detailed options and feasibility reports for the renovations.

Labour councillor Mr Smith welcomed the consensus of the proposals and the "commitments to engage with the public".

"By working with the community and stakeholders, we will find out what people want from the [buildings]... so they better serve people and businesses. By working together, we can make the city centre a place that everyone can be proud of," he said.