A group of local people, including residents, a trader, and the Committee of the Mill Road History Society have nominated the former Mill Road Library, Cambridge for the Victorian Society’s 10 Most Endangered Buildings of 2025.
In the nomination (full text in italics below) we highlighted:
Sold out oi public ownership for ever - The old Library’s very raison d’etre is endangered.
Sale criteria biased against community use - The County Council’s expressed preference for an unconditional bid and a quick sale was biased against community bids dependent on grant aid.
Local community disregarded - The County Council’s complete disregard for the local community and its wishes, throughout, has been shocking.
The opposite of transparency - 2.5 months after the decision to sell the Old Library, no public information has yet been provided on who the preferred bidder is, or what his intentions and funding model are. Public will be involved only after the County Council has completed the sale, so absolving itself of all responsibilities in relation to the old Library, while leaving the City Council and the local community to pick up the pieces.
Harm to the listed building? - no public information has been given on whether or how Dan Ross's proposals are compatible with the character of the Old Library, or how feasible they are given the constraints of the building and the site which it completely fills. What statements have been made by the County have been misleading at best.
A credible solution? - Dan Ross's actions in purchasing a challenging building “unconditionally”, and with inadequate prior investigation and advice do not inspire any confidence that his proposals will be appropriate for the listed building.
The County Council is getting rid of the building before its challenges are confronted. And for what gain? This cannot be quantified as the sale price has not been disclosed, but the County sought offers over £700,000, which given that £500,000 was spent on the partial repairs, amounts to disposal of this public asset for a net gain of just of £200,000.
Conclusion
Above all, the threats to this much-loved community listed building (and twice-designated Asset of Community Value) arise from the County Council’s shockingly irresponsible approach, over decades, as owner, lessor, and now vendor. The County’s actions throughout have been prejudicial to a good outcome for the listed building and the community.
Inclusion of the former Mill Road Library in the list of 10 Most Endangered Buildings would provide a last chance to safeguard the building for the community. It would also be of wider significance in highlighting (as an extreme case) the need for good stewardship of public buildings.
Former Mill Road Library, Cambridge – nomination for the Victorian Society’s 10 Most Endangered Buildings of 2025
Introduction
We ask for this Grade II Listed Building (the only listed building on Mill Road) and Asset of Community Value to be included in the Most Endangered Buildings list. While this request may at first seem surprising given the building’s apparent external good condition, it lacks even basic facilities (water and heating). It is under immediate threat of losing its whole raison d’etre, and identity as a public building built as a library by and for the local community, as well as its character and identity as a listed building.
Its current parlous situation is the cumulative outcome of 25 years of shocking neglect by Cambridgeshire County Council. Followed by blight due to an adjacent development by Cambridge City Council. And, following partial and belated repairs, the County Council’s current actions in selling it off and out of public ownership. A complete disregarding of the local community. This at the same time the County Council has deeply divided the local community by installing a very controversial new bus gate (see photo) directly adjacent to the former Library.
A revived former Library building serving the community could have been a focus for healing these divisions. In private hands, the building will be alienated from the local community; private ownership putting it at risk of losing any public use. And when the County’s preferred bidder confronts the reality of the many challenges, the building is at greater risk of potential further neglect, further sale, and even eventual demolition.
Background
In the hands of Cambridgeshire County Council since 1974, the former Library was let in 1999 on a 25-year repairing lease which was neither monitored nor enforced by the County Council. No repairs were carried out by the tenants - the ICCA. The County Council did nothing until water penetration was pointed out in 2017 by a member of the public during a consultation meeting for Cambridge City Council’s proposed redevelopment of tis adjacent former depot.
Throughout the evolution of the City Council’s proposals, which made no provision whatever for the needs of the listed building, the County Council officers did nothing to safeguard the future of the former Library. The County officers did not start to enforce the repair lease until after the City’s proposals had planning permission, and only after being threatened with formal action by the City Council.
After the ICCA vacated the building, the County belatedly carried out major, but only partial, repairs. These were at a cost of £500,000, and were to the walls, windows, and roof, but the building was left unusable - without heating or plumbing. For more on the background, please see John Preston’s articles in the IHBC Journal “Context”: https://ihbconline.co.uk/context/179/42/ March 2024 and https://ihbconline.co.uk/context/180/50/ June 2024.
A recent Freedom of Information request (FOI 202411003880 https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/august_1996_fact_sheet_mill_road#incoming-2848157 has uncovered a 1996 fact sheet published by Cambridge City Council, with input from the County Council, for Voluntary Groups considering leasing the building. This set out the poor condition of the building and suggested possible sources of grant aid. This fact sheet confirms that both the ICCA when taking the building on, and the County Council when leasing it out, were fully aware of the repairs needed – making their subsequent failures even more inexcusable.
The current situation
Since 2021, the former Library has been a partially repaired shell, with no heating. It was let as a site office to the City Council’s contractors who brought in their own facilities. This helped initial drying out, but the building has stood empty for 2 years, and the damp has returned.
The County Council put the building on sale in 2022 (see June 2024 “Context” article). A preferred bidder, Centre 33, was chosen whose needs (individual rooms for 1-on-1 consultations) were unsuited to the character of the listed building. A Community bid supported by 750 signatories came second. When Centre 33 withdrew, the County Council re-started the Asset of Community Value process. They did not offer the building to the second-ranked bidder (as they have done in similar circumstances for the former Shire Hall). The consequence was that the building was left empty and unused for at least an extra year.
The County Council’s continued exclusion of the local community from its decision-making regarding the sale was the prompt for a change.org petition “Please help save the former Mill Road Library for our community” ((https://change.org/MillRoadLibrary This now has over 2700 signatures.
Please see the petition updates for details of both the history of the former Library and the current situation. Note that this is just the latest of 5 petitions showing how the local community have wanted and loved their Library, over the 50 years since the County Council took it over.
But the County decided to sell the Grade II listed building and Asset of Community Value to a private, commercial “creative-minded” bidder (County Council Press Release 15 October 2024 https://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/news/mill-road-library-set-for-bright-artistic-future who offered to complete the purchase in 30 days.
Efforts to persuade the County to include a clause in the Heads of Terms to give the Community first refusal have fallen on deaf ears.
“Most Endangered”?
Sold out oi public ownership for ever
The County Council’s decision means that the only Listed Building on Mill Road, built by the Borough Council for the local community and supported by local subscription (as has been revealed by respondents to the petition) is being sold out of public ownership for ever. The old Library’s very raison d’etre is endangered.
Sale criteria biased against community use
The County Council’s expressed preference for an unconditional bid and a quick sale was biased against community bids dependent on grant aid.
Local community disregarded
The County Council’s complete disregard for the local community and its wishes, throughout, has been shocking. A purported quick sale “within 30 days” commercial bid was preferred to the Community Bid.
Note that the County Council decision was taken on 15th October. Current understanding is that 2.5 months later, this sale has still not gone through.
The opposite of transparency
2.5 months after the decision to sell the Old Library, no public information has yet been provided on who the preferred bidder is, or what his intentions and funding model are. On 5th December, at just 2 days’ notice, the County Council told the Mill Road Winter Fair Committee that they were planning a “low-key meet and greet” with the preferred bidder “to answer any queries the public might have around his proposals for the property”. The County then told the Winter Fair Committee to keep this ‘Meet and Greet’ secret! A tiny handful of local people were able to meet the preferred bidder whose name is Dan Ross. But neither he nor the County were willing to disclose information about him or his proposals (other than Dan Ross announcing that he was going to “bring world class artists to Cambridge”).
Public will be involved only after sale completed
A County officer present at the meeting said that a public website would be set up in the Spring. This would be only AFTER the County Council has completed the sale, so absolving itself of all responsibilities in relation to the old Library, while leaving the City Council and the local community to pick up the pieces.
Harm to the listed building?
According to the County's Director of Finance "Bidder 1 was able to demonstrate his ability to accommodate his ambitions in the building by showing what he is doing elsewhere. He wants to preserve the historic character of the building both inside and out. ... He is working with architects who have been involved with the building before, therefore should be well prepared.”
But no public information has been given on “what he is doing elsewhere”, or whether or how Dan Ross’s proposals are compatible with the character of the Old Library, or how feasible they are given the constraints of the building and the site which it completely fills. Dan Ross has neither approached the City Council for pre-application advice; nor is he working with Insalls, the architects with greatest knowledge of the listed building. What statements have been made by the County have been misleading at best.
A credible solution?
As noted above, Dan Ross’s proposals will only be made public AFTER the sale has been completed. His actions in purchasing a challenging building “unconditionally”, and with inadequate prior investigation and advice do not inspire any confidence that his proposals will be appropriate for the listed building.
The County Council is getting rid of the building before its challenges are confronted. And for what gain? This cannot be quantified as the sale price has not been disclosed, but the County sought offers over £700,000, which given that £500,000 was spent on the partial repairs, amounts to disposal of this public asset for a net gain of just of £200,000.
Conclusion
Above all, the threats to this much-loved community listed building (and twice-designated Asset of Community Value) arise from the County Council’s shockingly irresponsible approach, over decades, as owner, lessor, and now vendor. The County’s actions throughout have been prejudicial to a good outcome for the listed building and the community.
Inclusion of the former Mill Road Library in the list of 10 Most Endangered Buildings would provide a last chance to safeguard the building for the community. It would also be of wider significance in highlighting (as an extreme case) the need for good stewardship of public buildings.
(signed)
John Preston Historic Environment Consultant and Mill Road Area resident
Kati Preston Mill Road Area resident
Francois De Blois Mill Road resident
Susan Cox PACT (Petersfield Area Community Trust)
The Committee of the Mill Road History Society
Abdul-Kayum Arain Mill Road trader