Where Cambridge's big changes actually stand — the hosepipe ban, the Mill Road bus gate, the guided-busway speed limit, the dropped congestion charge, the Market Square rebuild and the coming council shake-up — with honest dates.
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A few big changes are all happening in Cambridge at once, and it's easy to lose track of where each one stands. Here's the plain state of the ones residents keep having to look up — with honest dates, and a link to the official page for each.
Declared by Cambridge Water on 9 July 2026; enforceable from 1am on Friday 17 July 2026 until further notice.
Cambridge sits in the driest corner of Britain and draws almost all its water from a stressed chalk aquifer, so this is the first hosepipe ban here in about 30 years.
While it's on you can't use a hosepipe to water the garden, wash the car, clean windows or patios, or fill a pool, pond or hot tub. A bucket and watering can are fine, and so is water from a water butt. People on the Priority Services Register and those with a medical need can apply for an exemption. Ignoring it can mean a court fine of up to £1,000.
Camera-enforced since 11 March 2025.
Motor traffic can't drive over Mill Road bridge. Buses, taxis, cycles, emergency vehicles, blue-badge holders and refuse lorries are exempt; everyone else is caught by the number-plate cameras.
A penalty is £70, halved to £35 if you pay within 21 days and rising to £105 if you ignore it. Blue-badge holders and a few other groups can register for an exemption on the county council's page. It's one of the town's most argued-about changes — over 15,000 fines have been reported and the mayor has called for a review of its effect on traders.
30mph limit (20mph at crossings) since 6 October 2025; fencing works run through 2026.
After safety failures, the county council brought in a temporary 30mph limit along the whole guided busway, dropping to 20mph at crossings. It adds time to some journeys.
The limit stays while fencing is built between the busway and its maintenance path — the core work is due to finish by the end of 2026, with the wider safety programme running longer. Buses are run by Stagecoach and Whippet.
Dropped in September 2023; no road-user charge is in force or currently planned.
The Greater Cambridge Partnership's proposed weekday congestion charge (the 'Sustainable Travel Zone') was scrapped in September 2023 after most people who responded to the consultation opposed it. There is no charge to drive into Cambridge, and none is currently planned — though it still comes up in local debate.
Decision due autumn 2026; if approved, work on the Market Square from January 2027.
The city is planning a roughly £92m revamp of the Guildhall, Corn Exchange and the historic Market Square. Councillors are due to make the final go-ahead decision in autumn 2026.
If it goes ahead, the Market Square would be rebuilt over about a year from January 2027, with a mix of permanent and demountable stalls. Current traders are being offered space during the works at a reduced rent. The market is still running in the meantime.
Government plans to replace the city and county councils with unitary authorities, likely in 2027–2028.
The government intends to end the two-tier system in Cambridgeshire — where the city council and county council each run different things — and replace it with unitary councils. Nothing has changed yet, but over the next couple of years 'which council do I call' is likely to be answered differently. We'll keep this page updated as the plans firm up.
17 July 2026
Hosepipe ban starts
Cambridge Water's Temporary Use Ban becomes enforceable at 1am.
Through 2026
Weekly food-waste caddies
Greater Cambridge is rolling out weekly food-waste collections to every household by the end of the year, collected on your normal bin day.
Autumn 2026
Civic Quarter decision
Councillors decide whether the Guildhall, Corn Exchange and Market Square rebuild goes ahead.
End of 2026
Busway fencing due to finish
Core fencing between the busway and its maintenance track is expected to be complete, with speed limits reviewed section by section.
January 2027
Market Square works could begin
If approved, the square is rebuilt over about a year.
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