Planning permission granted for Cambridge Market Square improvements

7 September 2026

Plans for significant investment in Cambridge's historic Market Square have been approved by Cambridge City Council's Planning Committee (Wednesday 2 September).

Cambridge City Council is committed to supporting the seven-day market to continue and thrive in the long-term, while improving the accessibility of the market, making the space more welcoming for visitors and traders, and protecting the historic character of the square.

The committee granted planning permission and listed building consent for the Market Square and associated public realm improvements, which have been brought forward as part of the council’s Cambridge Civic Quarter project to reimagine the Market Square, Corn Exchange, Guildhall and surrounding public spaces.

One of the major changes to the market will be moving away from the current stalls to a mix of 55 fixed stalls with power and lighting, 18 semi-demountable stalls and 24 demountable stalls. There is a commitment that every current trader would be able to return to the new market following redevelopment. The semi-demountable stalls could be taken down seasonally in quieter periods when demand for stalls from traders is lower, whilst the demountable stalls would provide additional capacity at busier times such as summer and Christmas. When demand for stalls from traders is lower, this flexibility would enable the square to be used for other purposes such as community activities or as a place for people to gather.

Another major change set out in the approved plans is to lift and relay the Victorian granite setts to create an accessible and inclusive surface that mobility impaired, wheelchair and pushchair users can cross – addressing current accessibility issues which exclude some people from visiting the market.

The plans would also see:

  • improved seating and planting

  • upgraded lighting and street furniture

  • people on foot given priority over vehicles

  • the Grade II listed fountain kept and refurbished, with sheltered seating and trees around it

  • renovated toilets and storage in the Market Square basement for traders’ use

  • new underground bin storage to remove clutter and reduce vehicle movements around the square

  • some permanent stalls having solar panels and others green roofs.

Trading has continued on the Market Square since the Middle Ages, and the council has committed to keeping the market open throughout any works, in streets surrounding the Market Square. The council has been in regular contact with traders who have been helping to shape the proposals. 

At the latest traders’ meeting on Thursday night, traders were provided with an update about the support available to them during the works and on return to the new market.

The support includes:

  • commitment to provide all traders with space in the new market

  • discounted rents for traders on the temporary market stalls, by at least 50%, based on the square metreage of the temporary stall size they use

  • removing the normal 2% annual inflationary rent increase for 2027/28

  • pro-bono marketing and communications support for traders during the temporary market

  • reassurance that any impact to traders from changes to business rates which result from the change of stall type will be covered by the council for the first year as long as traders seek rate relief. More work will be done with traders on a 1:1 basis to explore this. 

A separate planning application for the temporary market arrangements has been submitted to Greater Cambridge Shared Planning and is expected to be visible online soon before being considered by Planning Committee later in the year.

The Planning Committee decision does not on its own mean work will definitely start. Councillors will decide this autumn, at Cabinet and Full Council, whether the Civic Quarter project goes ahead. If they decide to proceed, work on the square could start in January 2027 and would take around 12 months.

Cllr Dr Antoinette Nestor, Cabinet Member for Inclusive Economy and Skills, said: “Cambridge Market is a key part of our city. I shop there almost every Sunday, I know many of the traders, and I care very much about what happens to it. I also know that it needs investment.

“The surface desperately needs relaying so that the market is much more accessible for wheelchair users, visually impaired people and people with pushchairs. We also need to improve the facilities traders rely on, including the toilets, electricity and water supply, and make the market more energy efficient.

“Traders have helped shape these proposals and we will continue working with them as we move into the next stage. The project team will install a full-size prototype of the permanent stall type so traders can test how it works in practice before the final designs are settled.

“We want a thriving, sustainable and adaptable seven-day market that is unmistakably Cambridge. These proposals will support that vision, with major investment into the market, making it more accessible and open, with improved facilities for traders."