‘Long-term it will be beneficial’: Why Peterborough’s Tipsy Cow thinks 11 months of Queensgate Roundabout roadworks will boost business in the long-run

A new Peterborough bar hopes that 11 months of roadworks on the Queensgate Roundabout will boost business in the long-run, despite concerns that the disruption could impact city centre footfall.

Cowgate’s Tipsy Cow, which opened in April, believes that any short-term impacts of the Queensgate roadworks will be mitigated by its long-term benefits.

Works at the roundabout are expected to take until May 2027 as part of the £65 million Station Quarter Project.

The project aims to create a more attractive and more direct route between Peterborough Railway Station and the city centre.

This will include a new ‘City Link’ walkway between station and Cowgate, replacing the two subways which will both close from July 6.

Freya, a member of the Tipsy Cow’s bar staff, told the Peterborough Telegraph: “I don’t think it will impact us too much because people will still come into town anyway.

“Being a hospitality venue we get a lot of people who aren’t driving. We were aware about this when we acquired the property, so long-term we knew that it would be a benefit.

“We’re in a good spot anyway in terms of foot traffic, so it [City Link] should only boost us.”

Queensgate Roundabout will remain open while the City Link works are carried out, although lane restrictions will be in place.

As part of the project, the two 1970s-era subways connecting the railway station to Cowgate will be filled in with more than 1,000 tonnes of concrete.

Peterborough Railway Station car park will have reduced capacity from June 29, with 111 spaces removed.

Freya hopes that the improved connectivity between the two areas will benefit the Tipsy Cow from next May.

“I think that we’ll be the first independent bar that people walk past from the new pedestrian area, so I think it’ll be a positive,” she adds.