Over £3m of funding approval moves new bridge over River Nene linking Fletton Keys and the Embankment a step closer

On Monday (June 27), the Combined Authority Board unanimously backed the proposal to draw down £3,427,800 of Active Travel funding to help construct a new pedestrian footbridge linking Fletton Quays and the Embankment in the city centre.

The money would fund the full business case and the physical construction costs but it is still subject to the Government’s Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities approving Peterborough’s bid for £6m worth of support from the Towns Fund.

A key component of the Towns Fund for Peterborough is the masterplan for the Embankment and £2 million of match funding for the design and construction of this additional River Nene crossing to improve walking and bicycling routes between the north and south of the city.

The current pedestrian and cycle links between the two sites, and the city centre has been described by the Combined Authority as “inadequate, with poor infrastructure alongside busy city centre roads.”

The new footbridge will provide a safe, direct link plugging into the ‘Green Wheel’ and helping create a more connected active travel network, which can help towards the target of cutting car use in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough by 20 percent.

The Fletton Quays and Embankment areas of Peterborough have been identified as plum opportunity sites by the Peterborough City Centre Development Framework as plans for Fletton Quays, once finished, include over 350 riverside apartments, office space, a hotel and restaurant, plus leisure and retail opportunities.

Peterborough City Council leader Cllr Wayne Fitzgerald said: “I am so pleased to see that this project has come to fruition as we’ve had a lot of hurdles to get over and it has been a long ask of the CPCA.

“The previous Mayor formalised some basic parts of this project on paper, but I want to highlight the positive aspects of the Active Travel program, of which this is one project.

“Peterborough has signed up for the Active Travel scheme, but its got to be the right kind of Active Travel project, not something scribbled down on the back of a cigarette packet for an idea.

“All of the initiatives included in this paper, and in particular the bridge will be a great boost to getting people in and out of the city, segregating cars and cycles and pedestrians – which is what we’re all trying to achieve, and its often difficult o do that.

“But these are positive steps and it does take serious money and investment to bring it about, and again I would like to thank the officer team at both the CPCA and Peterborough City Council for all the long and hard work they have put in to bring this project to where it is today.”

The Combined Authority Board also unanimously approved the proposal to draw down £750,000 of Active Travel funding from its medium-term financial plan for improvements to the Peterborough Green Wheel cycle route, plus a feasibility study.

The Green Wheel cycleway is a signed route around the outskirts of Peterborough, with ‘spokes’ leading from the city centre to the rim of the ‘wheel’.

It comprises both on and off-road sections and is over 45 miles long. The first stretches were opened in 2000 and, while it is firstly a leisure route, some parts will lend themselves to commuting.

The Green Wheel contains designated stretches of the National Cycle Network (Routes 12, 53 and 63) and its ‘spokes’ not only provide links out from central Peterborough but also shorter routes ideal for cycling first-timers or for family groups.

Mayor of Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Dr Nik Johnson said:

“It’s vital that the imaginative redevelopment of both the Embankment and Fletton Quays areas is supported by joined-up walking and cycling routes which can encourage and accommodate greater demand - improving public health and fitness and helping to bring down car journeys.

“Many people have reduced mobility and this footbridge, linking up with the Green Wheel, will not only make Peterborough easier and more pleasant to walk and cycle around but help to improve accessibility”.

Peterborough City Council will deliver all phases of the projects, including design, construction, and site supervision.