Cambridge: Historic former council headquarters up for sale

Shire Hall was home to Cambridgeshire County Council until 2021

A historic former council headquarters has been put up for sale.

Shire Hall, in Cambridge, was Cambridgeshire County Council's headquarters from 1933 to 2021.

The property developer Brookgate had previously started negotiations with the council to convert the site into a hotel on a 34-year lease, but the company pulled out last year.

Councillor Lucy Nethsingha said the local authority was looking forward to choosing a commercial partner.

The council voted to leave Shire Hall in 2018. It moved to Alconbury Weald, near Huntingdon, in 2021.

• Council to protect land's permanent public access

It said the development of Shire Hall remained the most valuable option for potential buyers. It claimed the site could bring an annual return in the region of £3m.

The site includes the former registration building, police station and Castle Mound, which is protected as a scheduled ancient monument. Public access to that part of the grounds would be maintained and would not be included in the sale.

'Right for Cambridge'

John Macmillan, the head of assets at Cambridgeshire County Council, said: "Opportunities to acquire a site of just over three acres in this central location do not come around very often."

Lucy Nethsingha says the council is looking forward to finding a commercial partner

Lucy Nethsingha, the Liberal Democrat leader of the council, said she was looking forward to choosing a commercial partner that would be "right for this historic location, right for Cambridge residents and right for our county's tax payers".

Councillors will discuss the bids put forward at a meeting of the council's Assets and Procurement Committee on 18 June.