What does co-design mean for Mill Road?
An alliance led by Cambridgeshire County Council have asked local architects and urban designers, 5th Studio to engage with residents, businesses and community groups to co-design a future Mill Road.
Co-design prioritises the input of local people at the earliest stage of engagement and asks communities what they want in their area before any plans and proposals are created.
Changes to the Mill Road bridge bus gate restrictions are not within the scope of this project.
Currently funding is available for specific works on Mill Road including funding for new planters and partial road re-surfacing, as well as some funds for quick win projects.
Should the Summer 2026 co-design work establish that there is interest from across the community in bigger changes to Mill Road, there would be further engagement and consultation on ideas and proposals before any decisions are made and funding sought.
Co-design engagement events
Engagement events included public drop-in sessions at local venues in July as well as stakeholder workshops and ‘walking workshops’ to consider different ideas along the various sections of the road.
Events were open to all and designed to be family-friendly and inclusive.
Informal community drop-in events were held on:
- Tuesday 30 June, 12pm to 3pm at St Philip’s Church, 185 Mill Road, Cambridge, CB1 3AN.
- Saturday 4 July, 10.30am to 5pm at The Old School Hall (St Barnabas Centre), St Barnabas Church, Mill Road, Cambridge, CB1 2BD. Entrance separate from the Church.
- Thursday 16 July, 4.30pm to 7.30pm at St Philip’s Church, 185 Mill Road, Cambridge, CB1 3AN.
- Wednesday 22 July, 4.30pm to 7.30pm at Mill Road Community Centre, 6 Hazell Street, Cambridge, CB1 2GN.
5th Studio are approaching a range of larger stakeholders and community groups to ask if they would like to take part in workshops.
5th Studio approached a range of larger stakeholders and community groups to ask if they would like to take part in workshops.
Part of what makes Mill Road unique is its diverse and evolving community. We recognised that we might not have known, or had the best contact information for, everyone. Stakeholders and members of community groups were also welcome to attend drop-in events to discuss their ideas.
Image supplied by 5th StudioHow much of Mill Road is included in the co-design?
The co-design engagement considered the whole length of Mill Road from the East Road junction to the Brooks Road junction including turnings in and out of side streets.
There are no plans to change the restrictions to Mill Road bridge and this is not within the scope of this work.
What is the next stage?
The project team is currently reviewing all of the information, feedback and ideas gathered through the engagement activities. This input will help inform the development of a concept design for Mill Road, which will set out potential improvements and opportunities for the area.
Alongside this work, the project team is reviewing the suggestions received for potential "quick win" improvements. These are smaller-scale measures that could potentially be delivered more quickly and may help address some of the issues and priorities identified by the community.
The concept design and findings from the engagement process will be used to help shape the next stage of the project.
Funding
£11,000 has been allocated for new planters as part of a Local Highways Improvement to deter pavement parking on the street. We are asked for feedback on where these should be located on the road and if any individuals or groups are interested in working with the council to maintain the planters. Around £400,000 has been provisionally agreed for the short-term improvements to Mill Road.
To undertake significant changes across the length of the road, additional funding will be required from central government and/or need to be allocated by local authorities.
Contact
To get in touch with the project team, please email millroad.project@cambridgeshire.gov.uk
