Business Editor Paul Grinnell gives an overview of some of the thrilling developments in the vision for the Peterborough of tomorrow:

IT MAY have been years in the melting pot, but at last, action is under way to transform Peterborough into a vibrant university and cathedral city that buzzes around the clock and is a byword for innovation, quality and creativity.

The opening of the exciting Eco Innovation Centre, in Peterscourt, City Road, which will be a "nursery" for the green jobs-and-wealth creating companies of the future, was the first physical sign of the start of the transformation of the city.

The £300,000-plus centre is just one of a multitude of projects that are in the pipeline and that will be coming to fruition over the next three to five years as Peterborough's ambitious dash for dramatic growth gains momentum.

Read more from our feature:
Future Peterborough: Regeneration special in association with Opportunity Peterborough - peterboroughtoday.co.uk/futurepeterborough.
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Overarching all the individual projects is the city's Integrated Growth Strategy that will effectively dictate what goes where to ensure the grand vision is achieved. It proposes the creation of 24,610 homes and 27,500 jobs in Peterborough over the next 19 years. The agency responsible for ensuring the plans are delivered is the city's urban regeneration company, Opportunity Peterborough.

Its chief executive, Stephen Compton, said: "This is a fantastically exciting time to be in Peterborough. More than most cities it has the opportunity to really fulfil its potential.

"I see it becoming a 24-hour city, very vibrant and a place to which people would actively want to come to work and live."

He said: "Peterborough should be a city of innovation and creativity. It could also be a city of digital excellence – there is an opportunity to attract a lot of companies from this sector."

For Peterborough to begin challenging the bigger cities such as Nottingham, Birmingham, Leeds and Manchester, it needs to have a carefully thought-out approach to its development.,

Mr Compton said: "We have a vision for the city. It is set out in our growth study, which details our plans for the city centre, the district centres and has proposals for two large urban extensions. The city centre action plan is already embedded in policy by Peterborough City Council providing the "route map" for the city's transformation."

An exciting array of projects feature in the programme to regenerate Peterborough. They include:

• City centre – a wealth of improvement works have been devised to enhance the public open spaces in the city centre and make greater use of its natural assets, such as the cathedral.


• The South Bank – a development of 450 eco-friendly homes which will be the focal point for the development of the surrounding area.


• Station Quarter – a £50 million venture to revamp the rail station and surrounding land and to include a Green Quarter of businesses.


• University – an £8.9 million venture to begin the creation of a university centre on Peterborough Regional College's campus.


• North Westgate – a £450 million retail, housing and city centre improvement scheme around the Queensgate shopping centre.


• Green Quarter – phase one, the Eco Innovation Centre has just opened.