Listed library could be sold at third attempt

A 19th Century Grade II listed library could be sold by a council at the third attempt, to a group hoping to turn it into a community-led arts centre.

Mill Road library in Cambridge has been empty for several years and was last used as a library in 1996.

After two previous sales fell through, Cambridgeshire County Council papers said it had received a bid from the Mill Road Community Interest Company (CIC) which represented a "significant improvement" on the group's previous submissions.

If the sale goes through, the plans include an auditorium with retractable seating, a mixed-use gallery and café space and creative work areas.

In 2023, children's charity Centre 33 pulled out due to the amount of work it said was needed on the building.

In October 2024, the county council agreed to sell the building to a new bidder, but the sale fell through in 2025 due to a dispute over a small patch of land at the site.

Papers for the council's assets and procurement committee said by their January 2026 deadline that one bid had been received, which was from the Mill Road CIC.

It said: "The centre would operate daily as an inclusive hub for arts, culture, volunteering and social programmes, with partnerships already established with local organisations."

It said that funding for the purchase had been confirmed, coming from "two private sources" and that any future conversion of the building "will be funded through a combination of grants and pledges, some of which have already been secured".

"The bidders have requested that the council enter an option to buy until 15 February 2027 to allow time to complete the purchase.

"Should the option not be implemented within this period, the property will be remarketed."

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