Peterborough university car park to be reduced and re-located

The proposed 400 space multi-storey at Bishop’s Park will now revert back to a 180 space car park at the existing Regional Pool Car Park.

The change has been outlined in a revised planning application for a new three-storey manufacturing and materials research and development centre at ARU Peterborough.

Minor alterations to the building are also included in the new plans.

Leader of Peterborough City Council Cllr John Holdich insisted on the car park revision after people living in Bishop’s Road had raised concerns of an increase in traffic and noise, a loss of green space and a lack of privacy.

Questions were also raised as to who would be able to access the car park and at what times, while there was disgruntlement that the number of spaces proposed had increased from the original plan of 180.

At the time, Cllr Holdich told the Peterborough Telegraph that the car park would be re-located and brought back down to one storey which will now be the case under the revised planning application.

On Wednesday he told the PT: “People got uptight about it and so did I because nobody told me they had updated the application.

“We’ve now gone back to the original plan to upgrade the Regional Pool Car Park to 180 places. This won’t affect local residents and will take into account the needs of the university and swimming pool.”

The Regional Fitness & Indoor Swimming Centre will eventually be demolished with a new £38 million facility built at Pleasure Fair Meadow Car Park in Oundle Road.

The university project is being run by the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority.

So far, planning permission has been granted for the first of three proposed teaching buildings with doors opening to the first students next year.

There are also due to be two research centres.

A decision on the application for the first one is expected to be made by the end of June.