Ceremony marks the start of construction of £30 million Living Lab in third phase of Peterborough's university

Construction of a £30 million ‘Living Lab’ plus new teaching facilities at Peterborough’s university was officially started yesterday (June 21) at a ceremony attended by civic leaders.

A specially engraved spade was used by university Principal Professor Ross to mark the ‘spades in the ground’ moment that traditionally signifies building work is really getting underway.

The celebration was attended by Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, Dr Nik Johnson, leader of Peterborough City Council, Cllr Wayne Fitzgerald, ARU Vice Chancellor Prof Roderick Watkins and Combined Authority Business Board member Rebecca Stephens and representatives of the contractor Morgan Sindall Construction.

The new development will be the third phase of ARU Peterborough and follows the completion of the main teaching building (phase one) and a innovation and research centre (phase two) on the same campus off Bishop’s Road.

The Living Lab, which will be a publicly accessible science centre, will be used to stimulate and inspire more people into STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) sectors.

It will be the focal point for events, exhibitions and flexible learning, including festivals of ideas, immersive displays, forums and evening classes and is hoped will help create a distinct ‘University Quarter’ around the Embankment.

Th funding includes £20 million from the Government’s Levelling Up Fund, £4 million from Anglia Ruskin University, and £2 million from the Combined Authority’s Business Board. Peterborough City Council has contributed land for the project to an investment value of £2 million

Prof Renton told guests “This is just the start of it. We are doing this to change the fortunes of the city, increase the opportunities in terms of skills and ensure we’ve got high skills we are also creating knowledge in the heart of the city and encouraging growth from businesses and encouraging people to come to live, work and thrive in what I know is a fantastic city and region.”

The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority Mayor Nik Johnson said: “It is all about the delivery – that is what people of Peterborough and the wider area are calling out for more investment.”

Councillor Wayne Fitzgerald, leader of Peterborough City Council, said: “This has been a bit of a journey and a huge challenge to get to where we are and I know there are further big ambitions for the university.

Paying tribute to the contribution of the university partners, Cllr Fitzgerald added: “It shows the ambition of the city council to take this city forward.

"Look around you and you see cranes on the skyline and it is our ambition to make this city a better place for all, not just from an education point of view but in every aspect.

He said: “I wish this project a speedy progress and let’s get it finished early.”

Mrs Stephens said: “The business board has supported this all the way through and it is great to see the progress.

"For business in particular it is about driving confidence and about having the skills we need for the workforce.”