Green light for £70 million pound plans to revitalise gateway into Peterborough

Members of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority have unanimously agreed that plans for the transformation of Peterborough’s Station Quarter should be the county’s single transport project to be submitted to the Government under the second round of ‘levelling up’ funding applications.

The total cost of the Station Quarter regeneration project amounts to £70 million with the levelling up fund likely to contribute £48 million with match funding expected from Peterborough City Council, Network Rail, LNER, and commercial and residential development.

Works will now begin by the Combined Authority and Peterborough City Council to draft the application before submitting the bid to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities by July 6.

A decision by the DLUHC is expected towards the end of the year or early next year with an outline planning application likely to be submitted in 2023 followed by some preliminary works starting later in the year.

It is thought that works to create a new western entrance and car parking will begin towards the end of 2024 with station enhancements and a new footbridge being carried out over 12 months from March 2025 and the station’s MDU relocated by March 2026.

The vision for the Station Quarter is also shared by National Rail and LNER and it is hoped will create a state-of-the-art station gateway building with a new office park and surrounding retail facilities. The Great Northern Hotel will be retained.

The Station Quarter is one of 10 key development sites in Peterborough which make up a £600 million regeneration programme for the city.

What will the transformation of the Station Quarter involve?

Central to the overall project is a new western entrance to the station – creating a double-sided station – and associated parking.

At the moment, the only parking is east of the tracks and a double-sided station will allow for easy access for cyclists, pedestrians and cars to both east and west. This will also ease pressure on city centre roads.

The project also seeks to consolidate existing car parking areas and to bring ‘nature’ into the design – and particularly into community space. The Environment Act 2021 requires a finished development to offer 10 per cent measurable increase in biodiversity.

It is envisaged that the new Peterborough Station Quarter would help slash carbon emissions in the county by boosting rail travel and helping Cambridgeshire cut private vehicle use by its target of 20 per cent.

The scheme will help Peterborough attract more knowledge-intensive and high-level employment by taking advantage of the city’s rail links to London and other key cities in the UK.

The political reaction

Peterborough MP Paul Bristow said: “This is excellent news.

“Peterborough is the gateway to the East of England and the station quarter is the gateway to the city.

"It is vitally important that the Station Quarter and the station itself is fit for purpose.

"This is a once in a generation chance to use this prime asset to bring jobs, retail and other visitors to our city.

“If we get this right, I can see new businesses and even another government hub coming to Peterborough.”