Secretary of State for Transport 'impressed' with vision for Peterborough's Station Quarter plans

Secretary of State for Transport Heidi Alexander says the £65 million development for Peterborough Train Station and the surrounding area, which has already secured government funding of £48 million, is likely to act as a catalyst for future homes and business development in the area.

Her comments came during a visit to the train station during which she was shown the facilities and land that will be transformed by the Station Quarter development, which begins this year.

Hoardings are expected to start going up around the station and nearby in August as work begins to ramp up with motorists and visitors warned to expect some disruption.

Ms Alexander told the Peterborough Telegraph; “At the moment it feels as if the station has its back turned on the rest of the city and we could use the land that is owned by Network Rail so much better to create some new employment spaces, new high quality offices, perhaps get some student accommodation built here as well as providing new homes and a multi-storey car park, and just make sure we’re creating a real heart to Peterborough around the railway station.”

Work on the first phase is expected to start later this year with the creation of City Link – a new pedestrian and cycle way from the station over the Queensgate roundabout and into Cowgate and the city centre.

Other works will include the creation of a new western entrance and car park – to create a double-sided station – with the entrance off Thorpe Road.

The eastern station building will be refurbished and there will be a user-friendly approach to the station with a sweeping approach from the Queensgate roundabout.

There will be a new look station area, a new taxi drop off/ pick up point, cyclist friendly roads, footpaths, landscaping and planting.

But there are also ambitions for further development on the back of phase one.

Ms Alexander said: “We are looking at the opportunities around it. If we can unlock regeneration around the railway then that can really be a kickstart for wider regeneration in the city.

“And the thing that strikes me about Peterborough is it’s a beautiful city, it has the cathedral, its on the East Coast mainline and if we make sure the station environment and the area around it is better for the people who use it every day and is also a really high quality experience for visitors, then it’s a no brainer.

"Our ambition does not stop at a new station building but there is a lot more detail to work through first.

She added: “The key thing is to get spades in the ground because I know that people in Peterborough feel that this has been spoken about for a long time and they want to see construction getting under way.”

Peterborough MP Andrew Pakes said: “It was brilliant to have the Transport Secretary in Peterborough not just to talk about the funding which has already been agreed, but to really roll up our sleeves and give her a sense of what this project means for us as a city.

"This was about how the project will be delivered because we need the Department of Transport to have confidence in Peterborough to deliver but also about what comes next.

“We have been talking for a long time about the station building, we now have the money but I want to know what comes next.

“We’ve always said this is about a new station but it is about unlocking investment in Peterborough.

"So when it comes to investment in housing, new business infrastructure, expanding the university, even a new pool, I want all of government to know that Peterborough is open for business and we can get the job done.”