'Most of us will be gone' - behind a market controversy
'Most of us will be gone' - behind a market controversy
Phil Shepka - Cambridgeshire political reporterSun, August 30, 2026 at 5:10 AM UTC
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Tom Wells has worked on the market since he was 13
The market square in Cambridge has had traders since the Middle Ages. But why have multi-million pound plans to redevelop it caused such controversy with traders?
The revamped market is slated to be part of a wider redevelopment of the city centre, which will cost more than £90m.
Those behind the market proposals hope it will have a mix of permanent and removable stalls. Those would offer "flexibility" for daily trading while allowing space for events and cultural activities.
Accessibility is another issue. The city council claims the existing cobbled surface is slippery when wet.
The authority's planning committee will hear the application again next week, after delaying a decision before May's local elections.
Cambridge's Market Hill has had traders since the Middle Ages
It is recommended for approval, but some traders fear for the future if it gets approval.
"Most of us will be gone," claimed Tom Wells, owner of gems and crystals stall Jade Garden, who has worked on the market since he was 13.
"There won't be a traditional market here anymore."
The 21-year-old said he doubted more than 10% of traders "would even be slightly favourable towards the project", but that he "wouldn't be surprised if some of the hot food businesses were able to survive".
Zoe Hardinge, who sells books, said traders currently pay business rates within their rent, and rates were significantly less than a shop space.
She said new permanent kiosks would essentially be "tiny shops".
"Stallholders will be liable for business rates, which is another huge financial impact that again, the council haven't addressed directly," she said.
Katie Thornburrow said there was flexibility in the current plans
Katie Thornburrow, the Labour council leader, told Hardinge on BBC Radio Cambridgeshire that she was grateful for her raising the issue.
"The stallholders have to plan and budget for their future. We need to come to a resolution, so that they can be confident about what the business rates will be," she said.
"In the same way as we're going to be maintaining the current rent for the first year back, we need to think of a solution like that for the business rates."
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Thornburrow said the council had been in conversations with the traders for several years, and planned to put up stalls in nearby streets while the redevelopment of the market took place.
The proposals also include the restoration of a Grade II listed Victorian fountain and repairs to historic railings.
Hardinge acknowledged the market "does need money spending on it — we all know that".
Carmel O'Neill feared for the future of the market if the changes went ahead
Vintage clothing stall owner Carmel O'Neill said she understood there were "some changes that need to be made sanitation-wise and things need to be , but unfortunately I think the way they're going about it is not the best... I honestly think that the changes will be disastrous".
"There is a history of markets being supposedly revamped and actually the markets just don't survive," she said.
"What we have here is unique, incredibly popular with locals and tourists alike and I just don't think it will survive. It's a great shame."
Hardinge said market traders had suggested a third of the market being permanent kiosks, a third of the market being traditional, open, versatile stalls - as is the case now - and a third being removable gazebos, which "allows everyone to have what they require".
"It gives the council their flexible space for their events... we get the flexibility that allows the retail traders mostly to continue trading viably, and then we have the kiosks which allow hot food traders to leave their stalls up and maintain more sanitary conditions."
The Market Square project is part of a redevelopment of Cambridge city centre
Thornburrow said the planning application being heard next week would concern the surfaces and the "concept of the fixed stalls, the open stalls and the demountable stalls".
"One of the blessings of the designs is there is flexibility. If necessary, the final number of fixed stalls could be adjusted down and the open stalls could be adjusted up," she said.
"I think the adjustments of the numbers can definitely be changed through the decades as the success of the market changes."
The changes in the plans since the previous planning committee meeting included replacing 10 removable market stalls with 12 permanent ones.
Asked what would happen to him if it was approved, Wells said: "Everyone keeps asking me this, but I just keep saying I don't think it'll go through.
"If it does, I suppose I'll be working in Tesco."
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Related internet links
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Cambridge City Council
Source: “AOL Money”
