One significant omission from the Peterborough expansion programme was the failure to provide a major concert hall.
There were not many notable failures but – to their credit – both the development corporation and the city council agree that it is a facility considerably conspicuous by its absence.
Former corporation general manager Wyndham Thomas feels that the Rivergate site would have been ideal for a concert hall.
Funding such facilities is never easy, but the corporation with its massive clout would have found it a great deal easier than those who WILL have achieved the job by 2032.
For achieve it they will.
The Embankment is an ideal site for major cultural development. Peterborough needs the lot.
A concert hall. Arts centre. And a purpose-built museum to display the impressive collection of artefacts of Peterborough’s history which the present building is unable to fully display.
There is also urgent need for storage space to house the museum’s rapidly increasing collection and, I would have thought with vast areas of warehousing immediately avaliable, it would not be beyond the wit of the city council to do a deal with the Commission for New Towns to help secure Peterborough’s future heritage.
I cannot speak highly enough of the museum staff.
They are totallly dedicated and their collective knowledge is vast.
As for funding – if Peterborough cannot make tourism pay with all the facilities on offer there has to be something wrong somewhere.
The profits of tourism could fund the running of the new mueum.
The development of the Embankment – and surrounding areas – coupled with major urban development linked to Fletton /Stanground will help to signal the end of London Road and the home of Peterborough United.
Various proposals for a new multi-purpose “super stadium’’ have been muted for some time and by the year 2032 the city will have one on its outer limits which will be shared with Posh.
Similar ventures are being lined up in many areas of the United Kingdom and Peterborough will not allow itself to be left behind.
Like so many things with the city centre, one of the great attractions of the new stadium will be the car parking facilities and ease of access direct from the parkway ring road system.
