Jobs-creating plans for business hub on farmland near Peterborough take step forward

Plans for a jobs-creating industrial park on farmland land at Peterborough have taken a step forward.

The proposals involve the construction of 29 industrial units on a 3.65 hectares site east of Edgerley Drain Road, in Fengate, in a development that is thought could create about 300 jobs.

Now developers, Leicester-based Skygate Holdings, have just completed an environmental impact assessment outlining the effects on the surroundings of the plans that were first submitted to Peterborough City Council in June last year.

The report concludes that the proposed development of commercial warehousing and light industrial units “will not have such environmental impact that would make the application proposal unacceptable.”

The report also underlines the key role the site will play in meeting employment needs for the city.

It states: “Much of the land allocated for employment development in the Local Plan has now been developed or is within the planning application process, demonstrating the ongoing demand for employment land.

"There are currently no alternative allocated sites that could be considered for this proposal.”

The completion of the assessment is a key stage in preparing the application for consideration by councillors in the next few months.

The proposed development will feature a variety of unit sizes from 181 square metres to 1,247 square metres and will provide 15,535 square metres of floor space.

There will also be parking for more than 300 cars plus 29 spaces for light goods vehicles and 145 spaces for bicycles.

The site is surrounded by the much larger development known as Red Brick Farm and which already has outline planning permission for a 127-acre industrial estate that could create about 3,000 jobs.