Jamie Oliver and Cambridge City Council create a recipe for success

9.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Fri 26th Oct 2007

Cambridge City Council has agreed outline terms to let part of teh ground floor of the Guildhall to 'Jamie's Italian', a new 'authentic' Italian themed restaurant chain being created by Jamie Oliver.

The scheme is part of a £600,000 Council investment to reinvigorate the Peas Hill and Wheeler Street area, involving the creation of a new Visitors Information Centre and Box Office.

The aim of the overall project will be to make better public use of a prime city-centre location owned by the Council and will generate a valuable future income stream.

Over the next two years, once the Visitor Information Centre and Box Office have been relocated the vacated space, which includes the rotunda where the Cambridge city library was once located, will be refurbished.

It is currently anticipated that the new restaurant will open during the course of 2009.

Executive City Councillor for Customer Services and Resources, Rod Cantrill, commented:

"The Guildhall is in far too valuable a location to be simply taken up with bureaucracy. This announcement is part of our plans to make a much better use of this area for residents and Council tax payers and also demonstrates the City Council's commitment to ensure the on-going vitality and economic prosperity of Cambridge's city centre.

Cllr Rod Cantrill

"It is great news, given Jamie Oliver's local connection, that he has chosen Cambridge as a venue for his new concept. I believe that the new restaurant will add to the diverse range of food offerings already present in the city centre."