Work to begin on Peterborough Regional Pool car park on Embankment in April

Work is to begin on a new car park for the city’s Regional Pool, Peterborough City Council has revealed.

The 128-space car park will be built on the open field just east of the existing pool and south of Bishop’s Road and is expected to be open by September.

The council saw plans for this site approved in August 2022 before changing its mind- stating that the site was no longer deemed suitable- and that redundant football pitches at the nearby athletics track would be converted instead.

The council has now reversed this decision, however, and will be building on the original site. A reason for the decision has not been given at this stage.

The car park itself will be temporary, intended to be there for no longer than five years.

In order to allow the space to return to the state it is now after that period, the car park would be surfaced with grasscrete and porous asphalt.

Tree planting will take place on the north and west boundary and hedge planting on the southern boundary of the car park to soften the appearance.

Documents state that the car park will be used whilst “an emerging embankment masterplan is being prepared to consider the use of the area and the university campus addresses parking provision in a more strategic way.”

Work is expected to start in April, with the build taking place over the summer months.

In the meantime, eight disabled bays have been retained outside the building - the same as previously provided - and an additional 20 spaces have been located at the coach drop-off point for customer use.

There are also temporary parking passes available for gym members, swim academy members and the athletics club to use at the nearby Bishop’s Road and Car Haven car parks.

The pool has been without a designated car park since February when the site was closed and handed over to ARU Peterborough to build its new Phase Three teaching building and ‘Living Lab.’

Cambridge-based company Coulson & Sons has been awarded the building contract for the project worth £801,000.

The total project approved is up to a value of £1,008,000 and will be funded by a grant already received by Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, with the other half coming from the council itself.

Council leader Wayne Fitzgerald has confirmed that the council’s long term plan is still to knock the facility down and build a new one.

Deputy Leader Steve Allen said: “As part of the advance planning for the closure of the Regional Pool car park, planning permission was secured for temporary replacement parking at a nearby location. However, at the time planning permission was granted, it was deemed unnecessary to provide additional parking as there was ample existing parking in other car parks nearby.

“However, that position has changed in recent weeks, with both Bishop’s Road and Car Haven car parks often full to capacity. This appears to be the result of post-Covid-19 recovery and a boost in people returning to our city centre."