Peterborough United ready to kickstart conversations with council over plans for new stadium

The process of finding a new home for Posh has been out on the back burner for the past few months due to a number of reasons such as the Peterborough City Council elections, the club’s relegation to the Championship and the subsequent summer transfer window.

Mr Thompson said: “We have been keen to update supporters regarding developments in our pursuit for a new stadium as we are acutely aware there is much interest in this particular project. As we are sure fans can appreciate, recent months have provided numerous challenges for us.

“We had a lot on our plate after the exit from the Championship, and the ownership has been quite transparent in telling supporters that a financial restructuring is one of those challenges.

"Working on smaller budgets, adjusting the Club wage bill to League 1 inside of three months whilst ensuring we built a competitive squad to bounce back has been the focus over the summer.

"This is one of the reasons we needed to put the new facility on the back burner. These structural changes do not imply a change in the budget for the stadium. We are in a solid position for funding the project, although post-Covid costs have risen substantially.”

In March, consultants Barton and Wilmore released two Embankment masterplans- one with a stadium on the Embankment and one without. The club has been determined from the start that the Embankment is the only location they consider viable for the project.

The location given for the new 19,400-seater multi-purpose arena in the masterplan was right on top of the athletics track currently on the Embankment and right next to the new university development.

At the time, Mr Thompson described his reaction to the overall masterplan as “tepid” and the stadium’s location as “not good for the university or the city.”

Now that the transfer window is closed and the elections have been completed, Posh are now ready to get back to the negotiating table with the council and find a workable solution and potentially a slightly altered location for the stadium.

The stadium is still expected to be several years away given the fact a location needs to be found, a formal planning application passed and alternatives to be found for the athletics track, should it need to be moved.

Mr Thompson added: “We’ve also been clear we’ve had some challenges with clarity from the City, and the truth is that neither side has been in contact with each other since the completion of the PCC Master plan public hearings.

"The elections, leaving the Championship, plus some challenges with the Allia tenancy have meant that it’s time for both sides to get back to the table on the Master Plan and the Club's position within that plan.

“We continue to move forward in this complex project and are hopeful to provide a more detailed update later in this quarter, as we reach out to start the communications with the PCC again. We remain committed to deliver a new stadium for this football club and will continue to work tirelessly towards this goal.”

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