New university accommodation set to go ahead at site of Peterborough’s Solstice club

This week (October 4), outline planning approval was given to site in Northminster for the demolition of the existing nightclub, which closed in October last year, and the subsequent erection of 56 apartments, rooms for up to 77 students, retail and restaurant units and 36 basement car parking spaces. These would take the form a three and a seven-storey block.

The development would be used by students of ARU Peterborough, which is set to open to its first cohort of students in September 2022.

The application was first submitted in May last year by MPB Structures Ltd and represents the first private sector investment in student accommodation for the new university.

The application had caused controversy, with detractors citing the effect on the city’s cathedral views and concern about turning the city centre into a residential area. Despite this, it was recommended for approval by the council’s planning committee in February and we has now been granted outline planning approval.

There were rumours that the nightclub was going to reopen in August when Woodglen Leisure, which ran the venue- including Raduis and Harry’s cafe bar, put in a licencing application for the “pub, bar and outdoor area on the ground floor that link to each other, a function suite upstairs and a separate outdoor area behind the venue in the carpark named the XL Areana.”

The licence would have covered 8am to 4am indoors and until 11pm in the outdoor arena. The application was later withdrawn though.

Is Peterborough’s Solstice bar set to reopen?

New uni accommodation at Peterborough’s Solstice approved