Your Ideas for Mill Road

Last month we invited your thoughts on Mill Road. We asked what would encourage you to spend more time and money with our local Mill Road shops.

We’ve now collated all the responses that we received – many thanks go to everyone who took the time to contribute their thoughts. Here’s a summary of the results:

Responses to survey at https://overmillroadbridge.org.uk/mill-road/mill-road-positive-thinking/

Provision of an “Attractive street environment – e.g. art, planting” got the highest support.

Comments reflected the poor visual state of the streetscape – e.g. the use of roadworks hardware…


People wanting safe sheltered spaces to enjoy food and drink also featured strongly.

Al Casbah showing the way in this pic with their on-street counter service…


We’ll continue to press the County Council to allocate resources which would allow these ideas to be realised.

Some of your comments

I feel bad for the traders who are having a difficult time, but I do feel that keeping the bridge closed is the right thing to do. It makes the street much safer for those who walk and cycle, and there is much less air pollution. I know some traders think that this has reduced the volume of trade, but it is surely just as likely that the lack of students and visitors is causing this. I know a lot of locals are trying to shop locally, but without students there just aren’t as many people around.

C.W., Vinery Rd

With outside spaces sheltered from rain and sunshine, I could eat out. I miss live music. I love it not being a through road.

M.O., Devonshire Rd

It’s a question of what shops and what they are selling. It’s often the case these days that you can order the same items from argos or amazon for cheaper and get a same-day free delivery to your doorstep. To some degree we might just need to accept that shopping habits have changed, and people don’t need some of these shops anymore. There is no value in trying to hold onto past memories of shopping habits, we need a future based strategy that includes investment that supports shopper’s habits in the years to come. Mill RD won’t stop a national decline in shopping, but it can take a larger proportion of the ‘Cambridge spend’ with some proper thought.

M.R., Sedgwick St

Copy Dutch cities such as Utrecht/Amsterdam, copy other successful pedestrianising projects – without constant trucks, cars and buses Mill Rd would become the go to place in the whole city. Like the Mill Rd Winter Fair. A weekly farmer’s market would drive that rebranding, and the affluent local community would support it. We need to buy local anyway.

C.F., Cavendish Rd

Regularly shop at al Amin, arjuna, cutlacks and pop-in postoffice. Pleased to see that amnesty book shop is reopening. V frustrated at yet more road works. This seems to be sabotaging everything.

We’d love to come back to eat at SeaTree and other Mill Road restaurants, but as we don’t live immediately on mill road we would like to see tables spaced out in the street so we could eat safely and pleasantly in the open air… Even if what we had was a takeaway and a pint of beer. Could mill road becomes like one of those food courts you see in some countries.. Where you can buy from a variety of food stalls, and then eat your various meals together with your family members on a communual table. Surely this is easy to do in that stretch of Mill Road, because the road is plenty wide enough for half to be allocated to traders.

A.M. Eltisley Ave

The area of Mill Road has become quite inaccessible for me as I have a baby and find it hard to walk without going in the road. There is always a van on the pavement opposite Cavendish Road and normally one outside the Al Amin. The bridge closure is great but the rest of the street is a nightmare. Much of it is becoming such a mess with rubbish and gas canisters everywhere and abandoned buildings. I really hope it improves, the bridge closure remains and is permanent, and the street is allowed to shine.

L.E., St Philips Rd