New University offers the hope of a developing landscape for Peterborough’s youth

The city has arguably left a gaping hole in services catering to those seeking to stay in Peterborough to get their thrills, but the incoming wave of students brings along a chance for the city to diversify its offering to the younger population.

I, like many others, set my sights at the age of 18 firmly away from Peterborough when looking towards higher education. The lack of, well, most things attractive to many young people made the decision an easy one. Every year thousands of Peterborough’s youth seeking higher education are forced to leave the city to get a ‘real student experience’ offered in other cities around the country, but our new university could change this.

Peterborough has seen a rapid decline in many sectors which was further worsened by the pandemic.

Back in 2015, Peterborough was the face of a national news piece by a Radio 1 DJ investigating: ‘Where have all the clubs gone?’, and in the years following this things did not get better. Club after club closed and the nightlife scene was obliterated, further dampened by the recent closing of the Solstice nightclub (counter productively, to build student accommodation), but is this all about to change?

Bijou on Bridge Street has offered a new alternative to a new night out, while O’Neill’s is catering to more events such as one of Peterborough’s few events for the LGBTQ+ community, Tuesgay.

While a night out is not what everyone may seek to fill their weekends, it does help to bolster the student experience for prospective new ARU attendees.

Entertainment, study spaces, accommodation, culture, and other provisions for students are also conducive to support Peterborough in becoming a new hot-spot for university students.

In more recent times we’ve seen an influx of creative and exciting ventures into the city. Eco coffee store Bean Around has nurtured a local social spot where people can meet, study and relax, while home-grown Peterborough businesses such as The Chalkboard have offered a great hope that new ventures will come along and help the city overflow with individuality.

The saving of our cultural lifeline The Key Theatre earlier this year gave us yet more hope. New entertainment facilities are also popping up such as the new mini-golf facility Glo-Golf, while the upcoming opening of the renovated John Lewis site bodes well for the promise of fun on any night of the week.

We’re certainly heading in the right direction to be providing a city that’s attractive to prospective students and capable of providing something to attain our own population when they reach 18. Providing for the new residents of our city stands to benefit everyone that lives here, so lets hope this streak continues and our city becomes the next thriving destination.