Combined authority Mayor says shop opening times in Peterborough may have to change

In an interview with former BBC Radio Cambridgeshire presenter Paul Stainton as part of his ‘lockdown interviews’ series in partnership with the Peterborough Telegraph, Mayor Palmer said traders and councils will have to think differently as they re-open following lockdown.

Mayor Palmer said: “We have been talking a lot about the city centre in Peterborough and how the dynamic is going to change.

“We know that bars and restaurants are going to have to have seating outside.

“I’ve been trying to encourage the shops to open later, so that it could well be that instead of shops opening 9-5pm we could have them opening 11am-9pm, and then there’s a whole new dynamic around that city centre.

“We’ve got to try and do things to change some of the things we have been used to, to create opportunity.

“In every situation I think there is opportunity and there, I think, with the city centre in Peterborough, we could see it become a really dynamic and exciting place to be.”

Listen to the full interview with Paul Stainton here.

What do you think? Would you like to see shop opening times altered? What other measures might help traders bounce back as lockdown restrictions are eased?

Email us at: [email protected]