Peterborough Station Quarter grant timetable approved after new Combined Authority vote taken

A £48 million grant to redevelop the Station Quarter will be delivered to Peterborough City Council (PCC) in £5 million instalments, with a progress report after each.

The arrangement was confirmed by a vote at a Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority (CPCA) meeting this week.

It follows an earlier CPCA meeting at which the vote couldn’t officially be taken because there wasn’t a PCC representative in attendance.

PCC leader Cllr Wayne Fitzgerald (PCC) said at the meeting that “human error” both at the council and the CPCA meant that a substitute wasn’t available for the meeting after the usual representative, Cllr Marco Cereste (Conservatives), was unable to attend due to a family emergency.

He added that the issue has been looked at and processes “tightened up” as a result.

At a PCC meeting on the same day, he added that a “series of mishaps” such as internal council staff being on holiday led to a perfect storm of factors leading to the “series of mishaps” but insisted that no harm was done.

Station Quarter building to begin in 2025

CPCA will deliver the £47,850,000 of funding, granted by the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC), to PCC for building work to take place between 2025 and 2026.

New east and west station entrances and a new footbridge are planned, as well as a new gateway station, extended platform canopies and better walking and cycling links.

The project will also require funding from PCC and partners, bringing the total to around £65 million.

New electric bus depot planned

The CPCA Board also confirmed that a PCC-owned site at Nursery Lane in Fengate will be considered for a new electric bus depot.

The project is in its early stages but, like the Station Quarter regeneration, will benefit from DLUHC funding delivered via the CPCA.

Also like the Station Quarter project, it will also likely need further funding: Cllr Fitzgerald estimated that the project could cost up to £20 million.

A depot used for vehicles providing council services is currently situated at the site.

Feasibility work will be undertaken before it can be officially selected.