General Election 2024: North West Cambridgeshire candidates set out their growth vision for the Peterborough and the wider constituency
and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565
The question posed was “From the perspective of growth, what do you think are the most important developments you would like to see completed/brought to Peterborough/ over the next five years?”
The responses are below:
Conservative- Shailesh Vara


North West Cambridgeshire has the potential for significant development in the next 5 years.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdThis includes the £48 million Station Quarter development, which will provide a more modern station which will include retail outlets and better parking facilities.
The new Station Quarter has potential to bring in further investment into the city, especially from the private sector, to build more homes, leisure facilities and shops.
The £23 million Township Fund will also provide a huge boost to the city, especially with the new bridge from Fletton Quays to the Embankment.
It's important that the rural parts of the constituency receive funding. Areas such as Ramsey have huge potential, as do other villages.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdHouses should be built in the right places. There should be more use of brownfield sites and less destruction of beautiful countryside and greenspaces enjoyed by locals. That means that rural areas around Peterborough and Sibson Airfield should not be included in revised Local Plans.
The infrastructure which accompanies new developments needs to improve. Those giving planning permission should ensure that there are proper green spaces, schools, GP surgeries as well as better parking facilities.
There are potholes and poor road surfaces throughout the constituency, despite the government having made available £8.3 billion to do the necessary work. As well as doing the repairs promptly, I have campaigned for Peterborough City Council and Cambridgeshire County Council to use better quality materials so the works last. I hope they will do so.
Green- Elliot Tong
It’s important to me that any development in or around Peterborough is here to benefit the community, not to line the pockets of investors. “Growth” in itself isn’t a good thing; we need to consider what residents are really after.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdBuilding housing without considering local people has led to situations across the country where developments lack access to the services that are essential for people to go about their day-to-day lives, such as doctors’ and dentists.’
The Peterborough Greens have been fighting to make sure that something like this doesn’t happen again around this city, such as at the development over in Great Haddon.
Whenever new plans are brought forward, I think it’s important to be hopeful that the project will end up benefiting the community while still remaining skeptical about anything said.
AEPG’s proposed redevelopment of the Showground has worried many local residents, and I understand these concerns. If elected, I would work closely with AEPG to make sure that everything they build is created for people over profit.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdRegular people need to be able to take advantage of anything built in or around Peterborough. As such, it’s absolutely crucial that the new housing that is created here can actually be afforded by them.
Our city, like many others around the country, is also in desperate need of more social housing at social rent. It’s shameful that many working people are being priced out of the city - Peterborough should be a place open to all.
Labour- Sam Carling
Peterborough is one of the country’s fastest-growing cities, and that provides a great deal of opportunities to residents in terms of new jobs, and improved facilities and infrastructure.
New businesses moving to Peterborough need staff with skills and qualifications in a range of areas, and Labour in local government has invested to deliver that provision through centres like ARU Peterborough.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdWhen done right, development can be sustainable and positive for nature and biodiversity – streets lined with trees and microhabitats are provide excellent ecosystems for both plants and animals. Paying due regard to open spaces and nature in developments also ensures that places are built for people, promoting a thriving culture in new communities.
Peterborough needs a stronger, more ambitious Local Plan – the overarching local policy document which new developments must comply with – to achieve truly sustainable developments. The same is true to deliver more affordable housing, and Labour would strengthen planning obligations to ensure new developments provide more affordable homes, with increased protections on newly-built social housing.
Nationally, Labour has set out a brownfield-first approach to new housebuilding, prioritising the development of previously used land wherever possible. We’re committed to preserving the green belt, which under the Conservatives is regularly released for development in a haphazard way.
We would take a more strategic approach to greenbelt land designation, and release it to build more homes in the right places – prioritising lower-quality “grey belt” land and incorporating new rules to ensure development benefits communities and nature, and is climate-resilient.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdReform- James Sidlow
North West Cambridgeshire is a diverse constituency, with a combination of suburban and urban areas, and rural communities. Important local developments only come with local growth, and this comes in many forms. Peterborough is already ranked one of the best places to start and run a small business, but we can make it better. Local growth is directly affected by national policy and Reform UK are putting forward a broad range of policies for increased growth.
The most important growth policies are those that put more money in ordinary people’s pockets! Increasing the twenty per cent tax threshold to twenty thousand per year will instantly ease the financial burden and give people more to spend in the local economy.
Reducing paperwork, and the tax burden on small and medium sized businesses by increasing VAT and corporation tax thresholds will encourage existing businesses to grow and incentivise entrepreneurship.
Abolishing IR35 rules for the self-employed, will incentivise people to start new businesses.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdCutting red tape, increasing the farming budget, introducing a “buy British, buy quality” strategy, as well as changing planning laws and bringing in zero business rates for farm shops, will grow local farming.
Lowering fuel duty and energy costs gives people more money to spend locally, as well as providing local businesses and farms with more money to invest.
More local money, means more local growth, which means more local development. Vote Reform for real economic growth, local development and prosperity for all.
Liberal Democrat- Bridget Smith
Has not responded to any contact from the Peterborough Telegraph.