Decision over hotly contested fields in Peterborough not expected until next month

A nearly two-year battle is drawing to a conclusion after a public consultation ended earlier this month (October 19). The consultation was to gather public opinion on the latest plans to partition off an area of the fields due to safeguarding concerns raised by Ken Stimpson Community School in Werrington.

Campaign group Save Werrington Fields maintain their objections to these concerns and the proposals to fence off an area the size of four football pitches to the right sides of the fields. They have offered a compromise of an area the size of two football pitches, with a fence no higher than 1.5m; current proposals are for a 2m fence. The council is yet to comment on these plans but the final decision will rest with Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, Education, Skills and University, Cllr Lynne Ayres.

This is, however, not expected until November after the council issued an update on their website.

The compromise offered by Save Werrington Fields.

Before the consultation was extended to the 19th, the previous deadline was October 5, with a decision then to be published by October 8. Therefore, it was expected that the fate of the fields would be known before the end of this month but this has been delayed and the council was unable to confirm when in November the decision would be published.

A spokesperson for Peterborough City Council said: “The matter will be referred to the relevant scrutiny committee who will then meet in public to consider the cabinet member for Children’s Services, Education, Skill and University’s recommendations following her consideration of the plans and the feedback received.

“The committee will decide what they would wish to see as the outcome which would be to: proceed with the published recommendations unchanged; amend the published recommendations.

“However, the final decision will rest with Cllr Ayres in her capacity as the Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, Education, Skills and University. This would conclude the decision-making process.”