Allia Workspace says farewell to Cambridge Guildhall ahead of redevelopment

At the end of September, Allia Workspace closes the doors of Allia Future Business Centre Cambridge Guildhall, as the building prepares for its long-term redevelopment.

Since 2022, Allia has worked in partnership with Cambridge City Council to make successful meanwhile use of the historic Guildhall, keeping the building active while providing affordable, flexible workspace in the heart of Cambridge.

Over the past four years, the centre has been home to a diverse community of businesses and organisations, while providing space for events, programmes and community activity. With redevelopment now moving forward, we’re looking back at what the partnership has achieved.

Four years of activity at Cambridge Guildhall

Since opening, the Guildhall has been home to 22 organisations, alongside 76 coworkers and virtual office tenants.

Through Allia Impact, the centre has also hosted 12 events and community days with more than 180 attendees, supporting entrepreneurs, social enterprises and organisations working to create positive social and environmental impact.

For Cambridge City Council, the partnership demonstrated how meanwhile use can keep an important civic building in use while delivering wider benefits for the city.

Jemma Little, Head of Economy, Energy and Climate at Cambridge City Council, said:

“Partnering with Allia on a meanwhile-use basis allowed us to keep the Guildhall active, open and secure while plans for its long-term redevelopment took shape. By offering central space for social enterprises, small businesses, and community use, we maintained the civic heart of Cambridge and supported a diverse, inclusive local economy.”

More than a place to work

For the organisations based at the Guildhall, being part of the centre also provided access to Allia’s wider network and connections.

"The ecosystem in the Guildhall and more widely within Allia presented opportunities to extend our reach. For example, we met with the local MP and a Government Minister at a meeting set up by Allia, which gave us the opportunity to explain how Orca Scan is already helping the NHS save money through better barcode tracking, and how we want to help more. We also appreciated being invited to business networking events through the Allia ecosystem, particularly those around Cambridge Tech Week and Cambridge Wide Open Week.”
Tim Hill, Partnership Manager, Orca Scan, Guildhall office tenant
“The Allia team are brilliant, helpful and very motivated. Their programmes made a difference to social enterprises and aspiring social enterprises in the region.”
Ruth Thomson, Allia Impact event attendee

David Broach, CEO of Allia Workspace, said:

“It’s been a real privilege to run the Future Business Centre at the Guildhall over the past few years, working in partnership with Cambridge City Council. Being able to give organisations creating impact a home right in the heart of Cambridge, on Market Square and in a building with so much history, is something we’re very proud of. We’ve seen organisations grow their visibility and networks simply by being part of that community.

“We’re also delighted that a number of our tenants are staying part of the Allia family by relocating to our Norfolk Street centre.”

The next chapter

With the Guildhall now moving towards its long-term redevelopment, the meanwhile-use partnership has reached its planned conclusion.

Allia Workspace continues to support businesses and organisations across Cambridge from its Future Business Centres at Cambridge Campus and Norfolk Street, as well as in Peterborough. We’re also looking to grow our network, working with partners to explore new opportunities to create successful workspaces and business communities.

The Guildhall project has shown what can be achieved when an underused civic asset is given a productive interim use – keeping the building active while providing affordable city-centre workspace, supporting enterprise and creating opportunities for the wider community.

We’d like to thank Cambridge City Council, all the organisations and individuals who have been based at or used the centre, and the Allia colleagues who have made the Guildhall a success over the past four years.