New £150 million plans for long-awaited revamp of Peterborough's North Westgate is delayed by traffic worries

The developer behind a £150 million plan to regenerate North Westgate in Peterborough has voiced his exasperation at a new delay to the long-awaited project.

Peter Breach, chairman of Hawksworth Securities, had hoped to submit the application for the 4.6 hectares site to Peterborough City Council earlier this year.

But now he says those hopes have been dashed by highways issues raised by the council.

He says: “It is exasperating.

"The main highways issue centres around access along Bright Street, which links the A15 near Waitrose to Lincoln Road.

"In the last year or so Bright Street has been used as a temporary bus station while works were carried out to the Queensgate shopping centre and for a Covid test centre.

"As a result Highways want more checks carried out, using instruments such as triggers that count the number of vehicles passing.

"They want to know that the access we want to the site will not cause major hold ups on the roads around.”

Mr Breach added: “It is the only outstanding issue with it.”

Once submitted, the plans will feature a plentiful amount of residential accommodation, a hotel near the crossing close to the Waitrose store off Bourges Boulevard, plus numerous retail units, restaurants and cafes public open space.

It will also feature gyms and internet cafes and there will still be a place for The Brewery Tap pub plus open space around Westgate Church.

Approval for the principle of development of North Westgate was granted four years ago but aspirations to redevelop the land have abounded since 1971.