Shire Hall, the former Cambridgeshire County Council HQ, is set for a luxurious future.

On July 17, county councillors backed the sale of their former offices to a bidder with big plans.

At a committee meeting, it was decided that the preferred bid was one which aims to create a luxury hotel with a restaurant and spa complex.

The Cambridge building went up for sale in February 2024 alongside the Octagon Building, the former registry office in Castle Lodge, the Old Police Station, and the surrounding car park.

It had originally sold in 2021, but the sale fell through due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and sharp interest rates. Shire Hall was then remarketed at the start of 2024.

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Cambridgeshire County Council received 15 bids for the building with plans for a variety of uses, included retirement living, student living, offices and business space.

A shortlist of four bids, three of which were to build hotels, were submitted to Cambridgeshire County Council's Assets and Procurement Committee to decide which one to move forward with.

Now, the council will enter an "exclusivity period" with the bidder so they can carry out surveys of the building, discuss their proposals and further their designs. It's hoped that the sale will be complete by the Autumn.

The developer will also require planning permission and considerable building work will need to take place.

Chair of the Asset & Procurement Committee, Councillor Ros Hathorn said: "Our newly chosen bidders made a strong case for the creation of a luxury hotel at Shire Hall, which we hope will offer a five-star future for this historic site, as well as bringing new jobs and a wide range of economic benefits to the city."