Opinion: Have your say on Peterborough's Local Plan to determine city vision until 2036 - writes council leader Wayne Fitzgerald

The importance of carefully considering which areas of our city are ripe for development, and what sort and how much, has a huge impact on the lives of our residents both now and in the future.

Peterborough has a huge amount of growth and regeneration planned in future years, the Station Quarter redevelopment, future expansion at the ARU Peterborough site, North Westgate, Fletton Quays, the former TK Maxx building and the Towns Fund projects to name just a few.

And the document that sits behind all of this, is the Local Plan, which sets a vision for how the city will look in the coming decade and beyond.

On Tuesday, the city council’s Planning and Environmental Protection Committee recommended sign off on a new public consultation which will update the Local Plan until 2036 – the decisions made in this document will impact not only our children, but our grandchildren.

If this is signed off by Cabinet next month then the public consultation will launch on 28 July – which will give everyone in Peterborough the chance to have their say on this key document.

I’ll keep you updated on this in the coming weeks.

The reason why the Local Plan is so important was shown this week with the approval of an application at Horsey Bridge for a new business park.

This had previously been turned down by the committee after members said it contravened the Local Plan and would cause harm to the Fen landscape in which it would be located.

However, following notification from the applicant that it intended to appeal against the decision, the city council’s planning officers sought independent legal advice.

This concluded that the application was in fact in accordance with the Local Plan and that the reasons given to refuse the application were wrong and could not realistically be defended by the council if it went to appeal.

Peterborough Lido

With the warmer weather swimmers are certainly enjoying the Lido, and I spoke to several people who enjoyed an early morning swim for the Summer Solstice last week.

It’s one of our most iconic leisure facilities and enjoyed by a whole range of ages and we are lucky to have such a venue. This year, the Lido has a whole host of events and activities planned, including a summer theatre production by Christopher Marlowe, Faustus from 11 July.

Great Eastern Run

Another brilliant annual event is the Great Eastern Run, which this year is being held on October 15.

The sight of thousands of runners taking to our streets for the 13.1 mile run is always one of the highlights of our leisure calendar, and the generosity of the public in supporting participants in the GER and the 5k Fun Run is something we should be proud of.

Last year’s return was warmly received, and If you’ve signed up this year, or are thinking of it, the Get Fit for Great Eastern training sessions are returning on July 12 at Bushfield Sports Centre, from 7pm,

They will be held fortnightly until October 4 and cater for all levels of ability and fitness.

Peterborough Palestine Solidarity Campaign

Over the next couple of weeks there are also many other events for people to enjoy, including the Peterborough Palestine Solidarity Campaign where you can experience authentic food, arts and dance.

The first is on July 1 at St John’s Church Square where there will be stalls, music and dance from 11am to 4pm, with the second following on at July 6 at the Iqbal Centre – it’s an evening of Palestinian Food and Film, from 7pm to 9pm. 

There’s a craft market in Cathedral Square on Saturday, and don’t forget that also this weekend is the second weekend of the PAOS (Peterborough Artists Open Studios).

Dozens of artists across the city and beyond are opening up their homes to display their brilliant art on July 1 and 2 and 8 and 9, and you can find out more on their website PAOS.org.uk.