Date set for decision on Werrington Fields as extraordinary Peterborough City Council meeting called

An extraordinary meeting of the full council has been called to make a final decision on land at Werrington Fields in Peterborough.

A full council meeting was held on January 22, where Peterborough city councillors were recommended to agree that all the land designated for educational use at Ken Stimpson Academy, including the main school site and the school playing fields, should be leased to The Four Cs Academy Trust under a new 125-year deal.

However, the decision was deferred after “new information” came to light on the day of the meeting in the form of a letter from the Department for Education (DfE).

The letter stated that it is usual practice for all land designated as educational use to be made available to the school, but it is “ultimately for the council to agree with the academy trust” how much of the land is leased and not a matter for the DfE.

This would allow the council to decide a compromise on Werrington Fields and potentially keep some space for public use, which residents have been campaigning for years.

An extraordinary meeting of the full council will take place at 7pm on March 13 at Sand Martin House, Peterborough, where a final decision will be made.

Peterborough City Council leader Dennis Jones argued that the letter received on January 22 before the full council meeting was the “clearest indication yet” that the council has an alternative to the decision that was proposed, and that is why the final decision was deferred.

He said: “We’re just making sure that everybody has time to read [the letter] and inwardly digest.”

After the meeting on January 22, Councillor Katy Cole, cabinet member for children’s services, said: “We remain focussed on moving forward on this issue as quickly as possible and continue to listen to the various viewpoints.

“We will not give up hope of finding a solution that pleases as many people as possible.”