New action to 'accelerate' construction of 25,000 seat stadium and concert venue in Peterborough despite no agreed location

Civic leaders hope that if the multi-million pound venue can be made a reality it will help attract thousands of visitors to the city and provide a much needed jobs and wealth boost.

Now government leaders are being urged to consider making the Peterborough stadium plans part of its newly devised Stadium Accelerator programme.

However, a row over the location for the venue seems to be brewing with leader of Peterborough City Council Councillor Shabina Qayyum warning that use of open space on the Embankment is a ‘no no’.

But Paul Bristow, mayor of the Peterborough and Cambridgeshire Combined Authority, said: “In Peterborough, we are already developing plans for a new community stadium for Peterborough United as part of the wider regeneration of the city centre.

“As one of the UK’s fastest-growing cities, with strong rail and road connections and a strategic position within the Oxford-Cambridge Growth Corridor, Peterborough is well placed to make the stadium a flagship part of its wider regeneration.

He said: “Our ambition is for this to be much more than simply a new home for the Posh.

“A stadium with a capacity of around 25,000 could also enable Peterborough to host major concerts and other events, bringing thousands more visitors into the city and significantly strengthening its cultural and economic offer.

“Combined with community, leisure, health and skills facilities, grassroots sport and opportunities for education and training, it could become a seven-day-a-week asset – supporting local businesses, creating jobs, attracting investment and strengthening Peterborough’s role as a major destination in the East of England.”

Mr Bristow says he is seeking an opportunity to meet with government ministers to discuss how Peterborough United Football Club and Cambridge United Football Club could form part of future phases of the Stadium Regeneration Accelerator programme.

The programme, which does not provide direct funding, brings together sports organisations, politicians and civil servants, and seeks to find ways to remove obstacles to the development of new stadia and help attract investors.

It is part of a new government vision that views sporting events and facilities as being able to play a crucial role in driving economic growth and regeneration.

Mr Bristow said: “These projects offer a significant opportunity for Government and the Combined Authority to use football to unlock growth and regeneration in two of our fastest-growing cities, while creating major new sporting, cultural and community destinations for the East of England.”

Dispute over possible location of community stadium:

However, a location has not yet been agreed for the proposed community stadium in Peterborough..

Combined Authority Mayor Paul Bristow has previously urged for a community sports arena to be built on a section of the 70 acre Embankment in Peterborough.

During his mayoralty election campaign, Mr Bristow spoke of his desire to work with Peterborough United Football Club to deliver a new ground with the vision being to build a multi-purpose arena on the Embankment that would feature events such as concerts, conferences and weddings and would be open for more than 300 days a year. The arena would also include a swimming pool.

However, the leader of Peterborough City Council, Labour Councillor Shabina Qayyum told a meeting of the ruling cabinet on July 21 this year that a football stadium on the Embankment was a ‘no no’.

She told the meeting: “We do know there has been talk about putting a great big arena, football arena on the embankment - that for us is a no no.”