New café for Fitzbillies

Carter Jonas has helped iconic Cambridge bakery Fitzbillies secure planning permission for new premises at 59-61 High Street, Harston.

Following strong support from the local community, consent was awarded by South Cambridgeshire District Council for a change of use to create an artisan bakery with a café.

Fitzbillies is a 105-year-old bakery, known for its ultra-sticky Chelsea buns. Founded in 1920 on Trumpington Street, it now has three branches in central Cambridge and an off-site bakery on Clifton Road. Current owners Alison Wright and Tim Hayward became involved with the business in 2011, buying it out of receivership following its bankruptcy and closure. They have since grown the business, opening a second branch on Bridge Street in 2016 and a third on King’s Parade in 2023.

This success has meant that Fitzbillies’ bakery operations have outgrown their current premises on Clifton Road, which are split across two buildings and are understood to be under threat of compulsory purchase for East-West Rail.

Fitzbillies instructed Carter Jonas’ commercial team to identify a suitable relocation site for the bakery operations in 2024. Following an extensive site search, an existing Ducati motorbike sales and repair garage in Harston was identified as the preferred site.

Carter Jonas’ planning team then engaged with the community and Council on a pre-application basis and submitted the change of use planning application. Permission was granted at the end of 2025, after which the commercial team agreed on lease terms and undertook pre-acquisition surveys, and the planning team discharged relevant conditions.

The circa 16,150 sq ft. (1,500 sq m) site will bring bakery, office and café functions together in a single building, allowing customers to see Fitzbillies’ products being made fresh on site.

The move will mark Fitzbillies’ first premises within South Cambridgeshire and will create seven new café jobs alongside the relocation of existing bakery employees to Harston.

Carter Jonas’ commercial, planning and building surveying teams worked alongside architectural firm Loci and transport planner KMC Transport.

“Harston is the perfect next chapter for Fitzbillies. For years, we've wanted to bring our bakers and our customers back under one roof, and this site gives us the space to do exactly that. We hope the cafe will become a real hub for the village; somewhere for local people to meet and socialise. We can’t wait to become part of the community.”

Alison Wright, Co-owner of Fitzbillies