Letter: Concern about loss of Embankment green space

To the people of Peterborough: You are about to lose some of your trees and green spaces plus the beer festival, concert area and indoor swimming pool. You need to act now if you are concerned about these things.

After waiting for months for Peterborough City Council to consult us on their plans and ask for our opinions concerning the loss of our green spaces and the building of both a university and football stadium on our Embankment area things are now speeding ahead.

It will soon be too late to object.

The ‘Notification of planning application’ ref 20/01044/R4FUL was issued on August 20, 2010.

You have until September 15 to send in your comments.

This concerns the ‘Erection of three storey building and change of use of the land to form university, creation of vehicular access, car parking and associated infrastructure and landscaping’.

Your need to go online at https://www.peterborough.gov.uk/publicaccess.

If you can’t get through the IT write to, but they prefer you not to, the following: Peterborough City Council, Planning Services, Sand Martin House, Bittern Way, Fletton Quays, Peterborough PE2 8TY

Although this planning application only covers the area approximately of the old Wirrina car park, we must extend this to cover the whole scheme as some of the over 1,000 pages in the planning documents cover this:

1) The loss of ‘our’ trees and green spaces.

2) The loss of another public car park.

3) The loss of Bishop’s Road recreation ground (to be a car park for the regional pool)?

4) The loss of the public’s use of the regional fitness and swimming centre. I understand this is now to be a Students Union complex with accommodation, restaurants and a night club and bars.

5) The loss of the Embankment for the use of the beer festival and concerts.

6) Possible loss of the Embankment sports and athletics area.

7) It is not clear if the public will still have access to the entire Embankment riverside path. I would object to the loss of this right of way.

8) Loss of former public football pitches/ parkland off Bishop’s Road next to the flyover (previously the site of the prefabs).

9) On a plan the area against the river embankment it states ‘the open space will continue to be used for ‘open air beer festival and craft festivals’.

Note concerts have not been mentioned. Now not mentioned in the application documents they intend to insert the new Posh stadium with a capacity for 19,500 people plus , I assume, associated infrastructure works such as access roads and car parks.

10) We have not been given a chance to discuss or object to this earlier with the council, although one of the documents states we have.

There was an information meeting in early February which some of my neighbours attended given by two people who limited the subject to the Wirrina car park site and stated: ‘They were there to show some pictures and things were only at the talking stage’.

11) Consider the construction traffic mostly coming from Fengate with some path and road closures and the noise and air pollution. Although working hours are intended to be 7am to 6pm, ‘on occasion it may be necessary to vary these hours’. Mud and unwanted debris is expected on the highways but wheel washing will be required to reduce it.

It seems the council, the mayor of the combined authority and our own MP are all for this scheme.

The articles I have read in the PT state they are pushing it through. I consider this is being forced through under the radar on the back of Covid-19.

What to do:

Visit the website read the documents come to your own conclusions. Object or agree it’s your choice. Act now! Time is running out.