Westminster Life: We can’t jeopardise station regeneration

​Peterborough Railway Station is extremely busy. Millions pass through it every year. But it needs renewal and regeneration. The Government investment was most welcome. I couldn’t wait to bring this news to your readers at the start of last year.

The plans include a new entrance on the west side of the bridge - preventing traffic crossing the bridge and onto the roundabout. It will open up access to our City Centre creating a gateway to Peterborough. There will be new retail and hospitality, creating more jobs and opportunity for local people.

It will also mean better access for everyone to the station and into our City Centre for people visiting Peterborough.

We will become the gateway to the East of England and this project will kickstart a decade of regeneration and renewal for Peterborough. My message to the Council was clear! We have the money - but get on with it and don’t waste this opportunity.

Well, there was one obvious problem from the get-go, which was the Great Northern Hotel being used as a hostel for men that had crossed the channel on small boats. This was the wrong hotel, in the wrong place, at the wrong time.

I launched a Peterborough-wide campaign to get this decision reversed and the hotel removed from this scheme. And we did it! The Great Northern was stood down for these migrants.

The hotel should be a flagship for our city. It is the first thing people see when they visit Peterborough and come out of the train station. Most importantly it could be an important part of the overall £70 million regeneration plan for the Station Quarter. But not everyone agreed.

Labour, Lib Dems and Greens have called our campaign divisive, xenophobic and even racist. They want the Great Northern to remain an illegal migrant hostel.

Of course, these people need accommodation and processing. I have never said anything to the contrary to this. However, this location was not right. Not for Peterborough or for the men themselves.

I believe due to the close proximity of the hotel to the station, it simply has to play a key part in the Station Quarter Redevelopment Plan. Most people in Peterborough will agree with me.

However, at Full Council, Labour blocked a motion to include the Great Northern in these plans and to stop the unacceptable migrant hostel situation from reoccurring.

The previous Conservative administration were clear on this. They want the Great Northern operating as part of the Station Quarter regeneration plan and not as a migrant hostel. Labour takes the opposite view. They think this is an acceptable use of the hotel.

Our campaign was successful. But we cannot let the new Labour backed independent Council leadership take us back. Without a clear plan, this location could be used as a hostel for illegal migrants again.

It is obvious this is what Labour want. But this would put the whole Station Quarter regeneration plans in jeopardy. We can’t let this happen.