WATCH: Extra £2 million funding for Peterborough's Cygnet Bridge approved after last minute changes to project
and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565
The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority (CPCA) has approved an extra £2 million funding to be put towards the Cygnet Bridge project at Fletton Quays.
The footbridge, which will link Fletton Quays to the Embankment, had an initial cost of £6.3 million, but Peterborough City Council asked the CPCA to provide additional funding of £2 million so that construction could start this year.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdCPCA’s investment committee discussed the request for additional funding at a meeting on Monday, January 13.


Reasonings for the additional funding, which will bring the total project cost to £8.3 million, include complex design modifications and ‘significantly higher’ costs for required sewer diversions than initially projected.
Construction of Cygnet Bridge was initially due to be completed by summer 2025, but this has now been pushed back to spring/summer 2026.
At the investment committee meeting, Councillor Nick Thulborn representing Peterborough City Council, said: “We’re already getting investment coming through because of this bridge.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide Ad“It’s already creating a positive move forward in the area. Active travel will make a huge leap forward in the area.”
Peterborough City Council hopes the bridge will assist in creating a ‘walkable, liveable city’ and reduce pressure on city centre traffic routes.
Councillor Dr Haq Nawaz, Fenland District Council representative on the investment committee, labelled the decision to approve extra funding for the project a “no brainer” and said the importance of the bridge “cannot be exaggerated”.
He added: “The bridge has been talked about for as long as I can remember.”
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdMayor Dr Nik Johnson, chair of the investment committee, said: “I remain fully behind Peterborough City Council in their ambitions for the area and their ambitions for the city.
“This is a very good project. It’s definitely something we should be getting behind.”
The government’s Towns Fund pledged £2 million towards the bridge, while the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority (CPCA) will now contribute £5.4 million and the remainder will be paid for by Peterborough City Council’s redevelopment budget.
The CPCA investment committee voted unanimously in favour of the extra funding.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdDetailed reasons for the additional £2 million funding included:
Structural Enhancements: Testing and third-party reviews identified the need for additional piling on the embankment landing areas, as well as increased steel requirements to ensure the bridge’s structural integrity and compliance with safety standards.
Sewer Diversion Costs: While Anglian Water initially provided an early estimate for diverting the sewer pipe, subsequent contractor assessments revealed significantly higher costs for this essential work.