MAYOR INTERVIEW: Stinging criticism of Peterborough university plans by Liberal Democrat candidate

Aidan Van de Weyer launched a stinging attack on ARU Peterborough which is due to open in 2022 with a campus on the Wirrina Car Park.

The deputy leader of South Cambridgeshire District Council is standing to be the second Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough in May’s elections and, if successful, would be in charge of the landmark project.

But he believes the university plans have been rushed by incumbent Mayor James Palmer, and he criticised the future use of a new £14 million research centre which will be built next to the campus for not being linked to the courses being promised for students.

The 45-year-old dad of two from Barrington in South Cambridgeshire grew up on the outskirts of Peterborough and swam in the city’s Regional Pool, next to where the university will be based.

In an interview with the Peterborough Telegraph, he said: “The idea is becoming a bit more concrete, but it’s really quite lacking in ambition at the moment. There’s no real road map to become a fully independent university.

“The research centre is not really linked up with the teaching - it’s different areas. And it’s not at all clear how the university can contribute to the cultural and economic life of Peterborough.

“That’s not going to be a quick thing, but that’s something I would be able to work on. I’ve worked in universities and know what can be achieved. One of the problems is the current mayor over-promised on what can be achieved, raised expectations, then rushed post-election to cobble something together that hasn’t been as thought through as it could be to achieve its full potential.”

Asked what he would do differently, Mr Van de Weyer said: “We need a longer term plan of where this is going. At the moment it’s not clear what’s happening beyond the current two phases.

“We need to define at the start what’s going to be special about this university that marks it out. It’s not clear what that is yet.

“The courses that have been announced, there’s clearly a need for them. It’s a first stage. The links with business I think should be very productive.

“But beyond providing some important skills which are needed by local industries it’s not clear what the university is able to offer - what the particular specialisms are that will set it apart and really attract people from outside.”

Courses promised so far include: innovation, engineering, manufacturing, agri-tech, life sciences and health, with Mr Van de Weyer highlighting the environment as an area where “we could have a real specialism”.

On that theme, he expressed concern over the potential loss of green space as part of a masterplan for the Embankment area, including the university and the proposed new Peterborough United stadium.

The history graduate who has taught both in England and France, before recently working for an MEP and in communications, says he has a strong affinity with Peterborough, having visited it for shopping, swimming and the arts as a youngster.

If elected, he said: “What I would be aiming to do is to take Peterborough to the next level in its ambitions to be a vibrant, exciting city.

“It’s a lovely place, but I think we can make it much greener and we need to think about how we can improve the lives of the residents and make sure people have a full range of opportunities.”

If elected as leader of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, he would want to push for more apprenticeships, an area he has experience in south of the county.

Another focus would be on housing, with the combined authority initially being given £170 million to spend on affordable homes when it was set up by the Government in 2017, of which £70 million was ringfenced for Cambridge.

Mr Van de Weyer said: “There’s a lot of capital to invest in housing but that’s not been exploited in full yet.

“I think the main focus of the combined authority is on £100,000 homes which are not being done in Peterborough particularly and is not an efficient way of making the most of the money that we have.

“There are areas in Peterborough where the quality of housing is not up to standard. Bringing new housing can revitalise areas.”

Asked if he is the right person to be mayor, making him arguably the most powerful individual in the county, Mr Van de Weyer highlighted his involvement in increasing the number of council houses in his district as well as working on local transport projects.

He added: “Peterborough feels like it’s been neglected and not had its fair share of investment. That’s been particularly acute over the past four years since we’ve had the mayor.

“Overall, people in Peterborough rightly feel they haven’t got as much as they can from the combined authority. I think that needs to be put right.”