Key upcoming Peterborough City Council decisions including disposal of Goods Shed and the future of Woolworths building
There are a number of important decisions to be made by Peterborough City Council in the coming months.
Final terms for the disposal of the Goods Shed building at Fletton Quays will be decided on as part of plans to convert it into a food hall.
A preferred option must be chosen for Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) which will change how councils are structured going forward.
And final approval of the disposal of the former TK Maxx building on Bridge Street must be given following a marketing process.
See below for a list of upcoming important decisions:
Goods Shed disposal
At a cabinet meeting on November 18, members will be updated on the re-negotiated terms of the proposed disposal of the Goods Shed building at Fletton Quays.
Councillors will be asked to note and approve the council’s purchase of the Goods Shed from Peterborough Investment Partnership for £250,000 in February 2024 for the purpose of providing a food and beverage facility as part of the Towns Fund project.
They will also be asked to authorise the award of grant funding to Farholt Goods Shed Limited for £1,895,000 for the development of the building.
The Goods Shed is one of eight projects in receipt of the Government Towns Fund programme, which saw £22.9 million approved for investment into projects across the city to drive economic regeneration.
Local Government Reorganisation
At the same cabinet meeting, members will confirm the city council’s preferred option for LGR.
From April 2028, the current seven councils in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, including Peterborough City Council, will no longer exist and be replaced by larger unitary councils.
These seven councils, and many others across the country, have been formally invited to submit reorganisation proposals to government by November 28, 2025.
The five proposals currently being considered by Peterborough councillors include three two-unitary authority options and two three-unitary authority options. This will see Peterborough merge with one or more neighbouring authorities.
Woolworths Building
The former Woolworths, TK Maxx and New Look building at 62-68 Bridge Street is currently being marketed by the city council.
Cabinet members will meet on December 16 where they will be presented with the outcome of the marketing process and asked to give final approval to dispose of the building to the recommended purchaser.
The building was bought by the council for £4.1 million in 2020 to accommodate the Vine project, one of the eight projects being funded by the Towns Fund programme.
However, the council determined the building was no longer economically viable after a study found the necessary works could cost more than £10 million.
A16 Norwood improvements
Also at the cabinet meeting in December, members will be asked to approve the budget for the A16 Norwood highway project which will help to unlock the Norwood and Leeds Farm developments.
This is subject to the approval of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority (CPCA) board, which has funded the development of a business case.
The project will see the dualling of the A16 between the A16/A47/Welland Road Roundabout and the Norwood Urban Extension, which is earmarked for 2,000 homes in total.
Work was initially projected to begin on the A16 improvements in 2024 and be fully completed by 2027. An updated timescale has not yet been confirmed.
Eye Primary School works
In December, cabinet members will discuss proposed alteration works to Eye Primary School.
The works would include a new vehicular and pedestrian access, car park, relocation of the reception area and associated works to the interior of the school.
According to the council, a full consultation will take place once the scheme is ready and a start date is confirmed by the developer.
The cost of the works has not yet been made public, but the matter has been described as a key decision due to the expenditure being greater than £500,000.
Refuge and safe accommodation
A procurement process which seeks to identify an accommodation provider for victims of domestic abuse will close in October.
The new contract will go live on April 1 next year, subject to approval from cabinet members in December.
The provision of refuge and safe accommodation for victims of domestic abuse is a key element of the council’s Safe Accommodation Strategy, a requirement in the Domestic Abuse Act.