The cheapest council car park in Cambridge and its 23 EV bays close for a fortnight of electrical work. The alternative the council suggests costs £23.50 more a day.

Castle Hill car park closes for a fortnight from Thursday 10 September, taking the cheapest all-day parking in Cambridge and 23 electric vehicle charging points out of use until Wednesday 23 September.

Cambridge City Council announced the closure on 3 September. It is for electrical maintenance, and the council says the car park has to shut “to ensure everyone’s safety while electrical maintenance work takes place”.

The car park sits off Castle Street at CB3 0AT, about 15 minutes’ walk from the city centre. It holds 111 spaces, of which 23 are electric vehicle charging points and four are Blue Badge bays.

Why this one hurts more than its size suggests

Castle Hill is small, but it is the cheapest way to leave a car in Cambridge for a whole working day. The charging period is 8am to 6pm Monday to Saturday, and the top band is £10 for over four hours. Two hours is £3.20 and four hours £6.40. Sunday is a flat £5 between 10am and 6pm, and parking is free outside those hours. Regulars can buy a weekly ticket for £45 covering seven consecutive days.

The council points drivers to Park Street as the nearest alternative. Park Street is a much bigger car park, 222 spaces with 26 electric vehicle charging bays and 16 Blue Badge bays, but it is priced as a city centre multi-storey. Over five hours on a weekday costs £33.50, and £36.50 at the weekend.

That is £23.50 more than Castle Hill for the same weekday. Over ten working days it is £235.

Cost of leaving a car in Cambridge all weekday, September 2026 Horizontal bars showing the top weekday daytime band at Cambridge City Council car parks. Castle Hill £10. Queen Anne Terrace £24 over six hours. Grafton East £30.60 over five hours. Park Street £33.50 over five hours. A Madingley Road park and ride adult return is £4.50 with parking free for up to 18 hours. Castle Hill closes from 10 to 23 September. Castle Hill is £10 all day. The council's suggested swap is £33.50 Top weekday daytime band at each council car park, September 2026, against a park and ride adult return. Madingley Road park and ride adult return, parking free to 18 hrs Castle Hill over 4 hrs, closed 10 to 23 Sept Queen Anne Terrace over 6 hrs Park Street over 5 hrs £4.50 £10.00 £24.00 £33.50 Grafton East sits between the two multi-storeys at £30.60 over five hours. Blue Badge holders get three hours free at all of them. Source: Cambridge City Council car park pages and Cambridge Park and Ride pricing, September 2026. Graphic by Cam News.
Weekend rates are higher again at the multi-storeys: £36.50 at Park Street and the Grand Arcade, against a flat £5 all day at Castle Hill.

The cheaper multi-storey is Queen Anne Terrace on Gonville Place at £24 for over six hours on a weekday, though it is on the other side of the city centre from Castle Hill and better suited to Parker’s Piece and the Grafton.

Electric vehicle drivers lose a fifth of the council’s chargers

Twenty-three charging points is a large share of the council’s provision, and they go off at once. Queen Anne Terrace has the most, 40 on level 1. Park Street has 26. Anyone who charges at Castle Hill on a weekly ticket will be paying multi-storey tariffs to charge for two weeks, or driving further.

What it means for you

  • The closure runs Thursday 10 September to Wednesday 23 September. Plan for the car park to be shut on both those dates.
  • If you park all day, Park Street costs £33.50 against Castle Hill’s £10, and Queen Anne Terrace £24. The Madingley Road park and ride is £4.50 for an adult return with parking free for up to 18 hours, and its buses run along Madingley Road and Magdalene Street, close to Castle Hill.
  • If you hold a Castle Hill weekly ticket, the council’s notice does not say what happens to it. The car parks team is on 01223 457000 or carparks@cambridge.gov.uk.
  • If you have a Blue Badge, three hours free applies at the multi-storeys as well, and the council’s free street-level Blue Badge sites include Adam and Eve Street, Gwydir Street and Riverside while Castle Hill is shut.
  • If you charge an EV there, the nearest council chargers are the 26 at Park Street.

Full tariffs, hours and the seasonal traps at Lammas Land are on parking in Cambridge. What else is dug up this fortnight, including the Trumpington Road night closures, is on Cambridge roadworks and travel.

Sources