Issue - decisions

Cabinet unanimously resolved to:

      i.         Support the next steps in this transformative project to decarbonise a significant portfolio of Council and Academic estates in the city centre of Cambridge.

    ii.         Support the Draw down of £0.6m from the Council’s Climate Change Fund to fund pre-commercialisation activities.

   iii.         Delegate authority to the Assistant Director, Development in consultation with the Director of Economy & Place and the Chief Finance Officer to submit a bid to the Green Heat Network Fund (GHNF) in 2026 to bring forward a City Centre Heat Network. This will require the Council to:

·    enter into an updated Memorandum of Agreement with Academic Partners and County Council,

·    appoint a Specialist delivery Contractor to undertake design and commercialisation plans.

Cabinet unanimously noted to:

      i.         Subject to the additional project development a final decision on whether to proceed would be brought to Cabinet and then to Full Council no later than March 2028

    ii.         Connecting a heat network to Council assets would enable budgetary savings and carbon benefits for the Civic Quarter project compared to the business case estimates presented to Cabinet in September 2025.

   iii.         At this outline stage the estimated project cost could be up to £121m, with the council share of £4m equity, £4.2m connection fees and a £18.4m loan at a rate compliant with Subsidy control.

  iv.         With planned Local Government Reorganisation (LGR), and conditions arising from a Structural Changes Order (SCO), it is recognised that this final decision to proceed or not will need scrutiny and agreement from the Shadow Authority.

    v.         Feedback to Cabinet from the Performance, Assets and Strategy Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting of 3rd March 2026 will be issued separately.