Go ahead granted for Peterborough Greyhound Stadium demolition plans

Plans to demolish Peterborough’s famous Greyhound Stadium to make way for a jobs-creating industrial hub have been given the green light.

Approval for the redevelopment of the stadium in First Drove, Fengate, has been granted by Peterborough City Council 17 months after the plans were first unveiled.

The approved development has been split into two phases with the industrial hub expected to support 260 jobs.

The plans were submitted by buildings project developer Fengate Land Holdings and attracted scores of objections from people across the country.

The first phase of the development, for which full planning permission has been granted, is the construction of nine commercial units, each of 99 square metres of floor space, and which will be built to the north of the 3.85 hectares site.

Planning approval includes the demolition of the existing buildings, which include a two-storey red brick structure with a glazed entrance overlooking the race track.

Outline permission has also been granted for up to 11 industrial units across 12,000 square metres to the south of the stadium site with car parking and associated works.

A spokesperson for the applicant said: “The proposals seek to deliver employment development that will provide several economic benefits.

"Job opportunities will be provided for residents of Peterborough, in addition to a significant financial contribution being made to the council by way of business rates.”

It is estimated the development will create up to 65 on-site construction jobs as well as the 260 jobs when the project is completed.

The industrial hub will eventually generate business rates of £200,000 a year and add £11.2 million to the city’s economic wealth.

However, the redevelopment of the Greyhound Stadium will be met with sadness by many people who regularly gathered at the venue for social and sporting occasions.

The stadium has hosted greyhound racing since the 1930s and was bought by the Perkins family in 1945.

Racing continued until the outbreak of the Covid pandemic in 2019 when lockdown restrictions halted all social gatherings.

The family-owned stadium stopped operating as a greyhound racing venue on May 19, 2020.

At the time, a spokesperson said: “Without substantial numbers of visitors… the long term viability of continuing to trade from the site as a greyhound stadium is unsustainable.”