Makeover of residential Woodston street hailed a ‘remarkable’ success

The Mayor of Peterborough has described a recent project to transform Tower Street as “quite remarkable.”Residents and community groups, along with local councillors and Peterborough Environment City Trust, came together earlier this year to clear the street of waste, weeds and debris. The Victorian-era mews was then gentrified to create a whole new look.

The Mayor, Councillor Alan Dowson remarked, “the people have done something very positive for the area.”

Recycled materials have been used to upgrade the street and brighten it up, with a kids corner made from recycled tyres and a Victorian lady made out of recycled clothes. There’s also a wildflower and herb garden and an area called ‘Gnomeland’, where donated gnomes get repainted and put out on display.

A commemorative plaque in memory of former councillor and Tower Street resident Mayor Audrey Chalmers – who was well known for the community work she did within the neighbourhood – has also been added.

Phillipa Phillips, who has lived on the street for 40 years, has been a driving force behind the project. She told the Peterborough Telegraph that the “feedback has blown us away”, with many people saying “how nice it is.”

“People have gone out of their way to come down Tower Street and have a look,” she added.

Phillipa described how the street used to look:

“The bushes had taken over so it was covered in ivy, prickly bushes, weeds and they’d got out of control. There was a lot of rubbish [and it] was a fly-tipping area.”

The project has been so successful that neighbouring streets are keen to get in on the action. “Other residents in the area have become rather jealous of it,” chuckled Councillor Dowson.

He explained how nearby David Chalmers Close will be benefiting from a similar project on 16 November.

“A team of people [will be] going in from the Justice Department (the probation service) and they’ll do the rough work for the council to pick up all the rubbish. Then the residents will move in and do all of the gentrification.”

Philippa confirmed that she would be involved once again: “I’m going to be there when the Payback guys start on Wednesday,” she said, “to start digging up some bits.”