Residents in a beautiful UK city are worried that a multi-million-pound regeneration project will rob it of its charm and “character”. Long-awaited plans to revamp parts of central Cambridge could be realised in the not-too-distant future, to the tune of up to £75 million as part of the Civic Quarter Project. The scheme, which would begin in October 2026 at the earliest, could see some of the stalls in the city’s historic marketplace disappear or become demountable, alongside refurbishments of the Guildhall and the Corn Exchange.
Cambridge welcomes huge hordes of tourists every year, with just over seven million visitors overwhelming its modest 146,000-strong population in 2024. One of the problems plaguing locals is that the regeneration efforts are geared towards the already tourist-centric city centre, potentially catering further to the demands of day-trippers to the detriment of citizens. “The character could be lost for good,” jewellery trader Glenys Self told The Telegraph.
“The developers don’t understand the value of what they have here. A way of life is disappearing.”
Ms Self, who has had a stall in the marketplace for 20 years, warned that the regeneration scheme risked prioritising holidaymakers visiting on weekends over the residents who kept businesses ticking over throughout the week by focusing predominantly on peak seasonal trade.
“It’s becoming a playground for tourists,” she said.
Councillors have insisted that the Civic Quarter Project is not a bid in pursuit of “mass tourism”, but will instead “invest in our historic civic spaces to ensure they remain relevant, resilient and welcoming for future generations”.
The authority has also described the aim of the plan as to “improve the experience of everyone visiting the city centre by creating more inclusive and accessible buildings, and better public spaces where people can meet and enjoy cultural events”.
Tom Wells, another market trader, voiced similar concerns to Ms Self, suggesting that the revitalisation scheme could see a rise in short-term pop-up traders, a trend he warned could have serious repercussions for the historic market, which dates back to the Middle Ages.
The Civic Quarter Project is also set to include conserving Cambridge’s Grade-II listed Guildhall by turning it into a net-zero-carbon building to save on running costs and convert it into a more “welcoming” area for the public. It will also revamp the Corn Exchange to boost its event capacity to 2,000 people.
