‘Tepid’ support for Embankment masterplan from Peterborough United as suggested location for new arena labelled ‘no good for the university or city’

A projected view of the arena from the Embankment masterplan.

Last week, Peterborough City Council finally revealed its masterplan for the Embankment area in the heart of the city, which has been produced by consultants Barton Wilmore.

The plan made provision for the creation of a roughly 20,000 capacity multi-purpose ‘Peterborough Arena’ that Posh would use to play its home matches in.

This provision was made right on top of the current athletics track and would mean the arena would sit right against the new ARU Peterborough campus. The two institutions signed a memorandum of understanding last year but both have expressed concerns about co-existing in such proximity.

A map of the masterplan's proposed placement of the arena next to the university campus. The stadium is in blue.

ARU Peterborough boss warns of challenges if football stadium is built next to university

Mr Thompson has confirmed that the club sees four options for where an arena could go on the embankment but that the one put forward by the masterplan was not the club’s preferred choice.

He said: “Our reaction to it is tepid.

A map of the masterplan showing the university campus without the stadium.

“We see there as being four options on the Embankment. The first is 50m from the riverside, creating a river walk, with pubs, restaurants and green space behind it. The second is taking up about 50 percent of the current running track area. Our preferred option is somewhere between option one and two; creating positive green space in front of the river and nudging comfortably up against the university so we can do things with campus housing and student union facilities without impeding either party.

“The third is the one provided in the masterplan and the fourth is right up on Bishop’s Road but everyone realises that is a really bad idea unless we want to let the neighbourhood be dammed every time a major entertainment act is in town.

“We are comfortable with the move away from the riverside, we respect the cathedral views and the need for green space at the front of the Embankment. We have always thought of the embankment as sacred ground and will be treating it as such if we move there with a sympathetic design for the venue, however, moving it right into sharing space into the university is not good for the university or the city.

“We just don’t see having 5000 away supporters walking through our new university campus as a good fit for anybody. It will put some pressure on our partnership with the university. We will enter into discussions.”

The club produced its own feasibility study in 2021 but for the last few months, the planning process has been stalled with the club unwilling to commit any further funds to the project without knowing if they would be included in the masterplan.

Now they have at least been included, the club is ready to kickstart the process of gaining the right permissions and permits. One of the main hurdles is the fact that the plan specifies that all other possible sites for an arena must be fully scrutinised and that any development on the site of the current athletics track, just off Bishop’s Road, must involve alternative facilities for the track being both identified and provided; in discussion with the club, Sport England, Peterborough City Council and England Athletics.

Mr Thompson said that the club is committed to moving to the embankment over any other sites and that the club can even see a future in which it works closely with a relocated athletics club.

He added: “We know in discussing with the consulting group that support for an arena on the embankment was overwhelming. We will go forward now and start getting our planning and permit options ready and want to go forward working with the city and the university to find an ideal place for everybody but we don’t think the one they have chosen is the right one.

“The requirement around an athletics track within any plans is exciting and aligns with the greater opportunities identified by the club and the university”.

“We would commit to some of the costs to help move the track because we think it should stay in the neighbourhood; maybe we can use it and one of the things that is super exciting is what we are planning to do with the university. If they are going into the sports and rehab industry, we would love to see all three of us closely aligned. The track with an indoor fitness facility, that we could provide, would be a real winner for everybody.

“I like to move things quickly, I’m not a patient person. I think the best thing to do right now is signal that ok, we told you we’d wait for the masterplan, we will fire things up again and get ready to go.

“We are going to do all the right things and get community engagement behind our plans, the support for a community arena in the heart of Peterborough is overwhelming.”

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