North Westgate developer issues 'work with me' appeal to Peterborough City Council to secure £150 million transformation

A developer behind multi-million pound plans to transform Peterborough’s North Westgate has hit out at calls for him to sell the site.

Peter Breach, chairman of Hawksworth Securities, has taken out a half-page advert in the Peterborough Telegraph to explain why his company is still the right choice to engineer the long-awaited regeneration of this derelict area of the city.

His action is in response to a challenge from Councillor Wayne Fitzgerald, the leader of Peterborough City Council, that landowners in North Westgate should sell up to the local authority and let it get on with the development after numerous failed proposals over the last 30 years.

But Mr Breach, who submitted his first application for North Westgate in 2003, states: “Why does the Council not join with us to move these proposals ahead without delay?

“Our proposals comply with the local plan and other requirements, subject to agreement on details.

"The Council has not expressed criticism of them.

He adds: “Criticism of delay by Hawksworth is entirely without justification. Hawksworth waits for the Council to be supportive of proposals which are on the table and ready to be taken forward.”

Hawksworth secured outline planning approval for a 150-bedroom hotel-led development on the 4.6 hectare North Westgate in November 2018.

The vision included about 350 homes, business space, cafes and restaurants and was expected to create up to 1,700 jobs.

It was followed by the outbreak of Covid-19 which changed the nature of shopping and meant a revision of the plans was necessary.

The failure of Hawksworth to submit reserved matters, details of how the development will work, to the council within three years meant the planning approval lapsed in 2021. By that time Mr Breach was working on a new application with less retail space.

A collaboration agreement between the council and Hawksworth in 2020 to begin acquiring land at North Westgate was terminated by the local authority soon afterwards.

In his advert, Mr Breach states: “Certain members of the Council have criticised Hawksworth for not pressing ahead with their 2018 planning consent.

"However, as everyone knows, shop and leisure operators hit major trading difficulties with Covid.

"Hawksworth’s plans no longer worked.

"Retailers and restaurateurs would not have wanted to open new premises; they were struggling with the ones they had.

“A new and different scheme was required.

“Hawksworth has produced that new and different scheme which has been under discussion with the planning office.”

Although as the largest landowner, Mr Breach is in a strong position to resist a Compulsory Purchase Order from the council, he might have been overtaken by events.

Peterborough’s success in securing £48 million of Levelling Up funding from the Government for a regeneration of the Station Quarter could see those plans encompassing the adjoining North Westgate area.

And there is no doubting the council’s exasperation with the lack of progress.

Writing in the Peterborough Telegraph in March, Cllr Fitzgerald stated: “I am frustrated with the lack of action to redevelop this important city centre site.

"The council will consider all legal steps available, which may include the use of compulsory purchase powers, if necessary to be able to see this through.”