St Ives Town Regeneration Forum Updates
September 2026 Update
St Ives Said NO to Developing the Cattle Market
More than 1,000 residents attended the consultation on 19 August and overwhelmingly rejected Capital & Centric’s proposal to turn the Cattle Market car park into a modern “leafy piazza” with a 4–5 storey block of flats and private leisure facilities. A further 200+ residents attended the extra‑ordinary Town Council meeting, with many more submitting written objections.
The Cattle Market is part of our heritage — from the gate lodges and railings to the bullock‑head plaques, cobbles and tiles, and the Octagon building. Conservation listing is now being sought to protect these historic features.
The car park is also a vital town asset: accessible parking for shoppers and visitors, the bus station, markets, fairs, and a gateway for tourists. Replacing it with housing in the middle of our conservation area is highly inappropriate.
HDC has not yet explained who authorised over £1 million of project spending. An enquiry will take place this autumn.
Before the consultation, we met with Capital & Centric to challenge the proposal, ask key questions, and offer the town’s own aspirations. Our FoRSIT group also raised concerns about the lack of scrutiny and why developers were asked for a “vision” when the town already has one.
We supported the Town Council in rejecting the proposal and urged HDC to work with residents to create a plan based on St Ives’ own needs and heritage, not a developer’s template. The Council Leader has indicated openness to this — so we watch this space.
The Old Barclays Bank Eyesore
The derelict former Barclays Bank site on Market Hill has now been an eyesore for four years — and it has become a health and safety hazard. The scaffolding is visibly unstable, and our recent photographs attracted press interest from The Hunts Post and Cambridge Live.
A little research revealed that the bank still owns the site after both contractors went into administration. Because the structure extends into the highway, CCC Highways is responsible for ensuring it is safe. We pushed them to issue a Safety Notice requiring urgent remedial work, and asked HDC’s Planning Committee to ensure regular inspections take place.
We are grateful that the Town Council wrote firmly to HDC’s Planning Committee. The deadline for action was 23 September 2026. Although some ground‑floor windows have now been installed along White Hart Passage, the wobbly scaffolding remains.
There is still no apology to pedestrians for the inconvenience, no contact number displayed for public concerns, and the structure continues to pose a real safety risk — right in the centre of our conservation area.
We are pursuing this and will keep the town updated.
Challenging HDC’s Local Plan
HDC’s draft Local Plan requires 32,200 new homes by 2046. Around 4,400 have already been built, leaving 27,300 still to be delivered from 2025 onwards. This would create a huge ribbon of development from Huntingdon Racecourse to Giffords Farm — the size of a new town, but without the services a new town needs.
HDC has published infrastructure evidence — an Infrastructure Readiness Report, an Infrastructure Delivery Study and a Water Cycle Study — but none of it adds up the combined impact of the six major sites planned along the A141 corridor. And the Plan doesn’t tie new homes to infrastructure actually being delivered first: it allows building to proceed without binding guarantees that roads, drainage, GP surgeries and schools will keep pace with the number of new residents.
We’ve asked CCC and Anglian Water what modelling has been done to support roads, drainage, sewage, flood management, surgeries and schools. We’ve also asked our MP to raise why the National Planning Policy Framework doesn’t require councils to assess this kind of cumulative regional impact.
HDC’s Overview & Scrutiny Panel Chair confirmed that questioning the cumulative infrastructure modelling behind the Plan falls squarely within the Panel’s role in checking the Council’s plan readiness — and encouraged us to put these points, with full evidence, through the Regulation 19 consultation, since only those representations go directly to the Planning Inspector.
We’ve now appointed a Planning Consultant to support us, and we’re working with the North Huntingdonshire Impact Group to call on HDC to pause the Local Plan until proper infrastructure planning is in place. We will keep pushing for action and update you on progress.
February 2026 Update
Response to the Local Plan & Proposal for the Redevelopment of the A14:
Due to both consultations happening in the same timescale inevitably creating some crossover we refer to both in this update.
Residents were concerned about the draft Local Plan’s density, the limited time for feedback, and the major effects of proposed housing and commercial developments on the town’s infrastructure.
We understood the Town Council did not support the A14 redevelopment proposals. We organised a public meeting on 13th December at Free Church Hall to gather residents’ views and clarify issues with HDC councillors, focusing on concerns about infrastructure, heritage, neighbourhood identity, and sense of place. Please click here for our response.
This was sent to Town and District councillors on 17.12.25, requesting a meeting to discuss joint planning for the town’s future needs. The meeting is still pending.
Local Heritage Listing
Towns and cities are required to identify local buildings that are significant—whether socially, architecturally, or historically, according to English Heritage—for protection and conservation, even if these sites do not qualify for Grade I or II Heritage Listing. Cambridge City Council has taken the initiative by nominating mostly historic buildings, Huntingdon is yet to do so. As a result, FoRSIT made it a priority to review proposals from the Neighbourhood Planning consultation, as well as other sources, to assess which sites may be suitable for submission to the County Council for Local Heritage Listing recommendations
The project is a collaborative initiative involving the Town Council and the Civic Society, overseen by FoRSIT. A panel of specialists will thoroughly review, research, and recommend each nomination to the District Planning Committee. Every submission must include supporting research documents and photographic evidence, andsatisfy at least one of five key criteria. At present, funding options for the project and candidates for the Panel are being considered. Additionally, historical researchers and a project administrator are needed.
Conserving Bridge Street
A 2024 Bridge St survey gathered input from local retailers and hospitality venues on attracting visitors and boosting footfall. Key priorities included festoon lighting, pavement seating, greening, improved signage, and addressing illegal parking.
Funded posters promoted shopping locally at Christmas in 2025 and 2026, and conservation-based Shop Fronts & Street Surfacing guidelines were developed for distribution to new businesses, aiming for a heritage look; these are now being considered for adding to the St Ives Neighbourhood Plan. Next year’s budget will target enhanced lighting and signage for Foundry Walk.
July 2025 Update
We met with MP Ben Obese-Jecty about our concerns that sufficient attention is paid to residents’ aspirations to preserve the town’s heritage and support its growth when Council developers discuss its future development.
We found him to be aware of conservation issues and supportive of our concerns. He is already involved in regeneration discussions with Mayor Julie Kerr and others and will include ForSIT in discussions going forward.
We hope this will provide us with the opportunity to influence planning decisions relating to significant and exciting developments for the town.
March 2025 Update
Exciting progress continues in our journey to rejuvenate St Ives. Here’s a quick overview of recent developments:
Dedicated Website Space
Many of you may already be familiar with the Old Riverport website which features events and festivals, tourist tips and practical information about the town.
We’re excited to announce that a dedicated section for St Ives town regeneration activities will soon be live on the website. This space will keep you updated on our progress, plans, and opportunities to get involved. See www.stivescambridgeshire.co.uk
WhatsApp Group News
Since its launch in February 2025, the town regeneration WhatsApp group has become a platform for collaboration and ideas.
Currently, about half of the local shops have joined, and we anticipate more will participate as tangible progress unfolds.
The first topic under discussion is gathering insights from shop customers:
Parking Preferences: Would shopkeepers be willing to ask their customers where they typically park?
Greener Streets: Where would customers like to see trees or planters placed along the street?
We’re excited to see this group fostering conversation and collective action and look forward to more voices joining in soon.
St Ives Shop Front and Signage Guidelines
As part of our ongoing efforts to celebrate and preserve the charm of St Ives, we’ve developed draft guidelines for creating a cohesive shop front and signage brand. These guidelines aim to accentuate the unique architectural features of our local buildings and streetscapes while fostering a sense of place and identity.
Street News
Outdoor Lighting: We’re in the process of gathering quotes for festoon lighting to illuminate Bridge Street, Crown Street, Merrylands including the courtyards and alleyways. These will not only brighten these areas at night but also enhance their charm.
Greener Spaces: Costs are being explored for adding trees, planters, and new signage to transform our streetscapes into more welcoming, vibrant spaces.
Once all estimates are finalised, we will submit an application for funding as this vital support will enable us to bring these enhancements to life.
Looking Ahead
Our efforts to enhance the town continue with a growing programme of activities. We’re committed to keeping you updated, sharing exciting developments and opportunities to get involved.
December Update 2024
Right here in St Ives – have you seen the shop local posters in town? One celebrates the restaurants, pubs and bars where you can wind down with friends and the other promotes the wonderful independent shops around town where you can do all your Christmas shopping locally.
A big thanks to our local galleries and shops for their creative input to the posters design. The Civic Society funded the poster printing and developed the graphics.
Local business owners have been busy with ForSIT developments and are currently running a parking questionnaire with customers and a petition for 1 hour of free parking.
Elsewhere members of ForSIT have been busy processing comments received from residents during the neighbourhood planning process which will be converted into viable plans for revitalising the town and boosting its economy.
Liaison with the shop keepers in Bridge Street is ongoing including the development of a shop front template and improving the town centre signage.
A Community Asset Plan to develop the Octagon, which is owned by Huntingdon District Council, is being explored. A variety of suggestions for its use have been put forward including use as an indoor market, café or theatre. HDC wish to have an internal review to decide what their plans are for the Octagon. In parallel the ForSIT group has been added to the Market Towns network which can give access to funding.
St Ives is also becoming part of HDC’s Pride in Place programme which celebrates regeneration projects.
Regeneration Away Day on 4th July 2024
The meeting broadly covered communication difficulties within the town, retail decline, pedestrianisation, parking/transport, flood/water management, heritage protection, the scruffiness of the town, its ecology and future event creation.
From these topics a regeneration metric was established with which to begin assessing the opportunities and barriers for revitalising the town. Given that Bridge Street was the example used by Simon Ward’s presentation at the previous meeting, it was agreed members would walk along it to note what immediately needs doing.
In addition, members will explore possible funding such as the Shop Front Grants which expires in September 2024 so both new and existing shopkeepers could be reminded to apply quickly. The next meeting will take place in early September 2024.