First look at the new Peterborough city centre car park due to open this month

The new car park has been built on the site of the old Northminster Multi Storey car park, which was demolished this year.

The plastic floor of the new car park has nearly been completed, ahead of the opening later this month.

The temporary, short stay car park will have more than 100 spaces. It has not been confirmed how long the temporary car park will be open for, or the official opening date.

However, the city council has previously announced plans to regenerate the Northminster site and is in the process of transferring the land to the Peterborough Investment Partnership (PIP), with a planning application expected to be submitted early next year.

The decision to open the car park comes after the council moved to close two other city centre car parks (Regional Pool and Wirrina) as progress on the new university site gathers pace.

Councillor John Holdich, leader of Peterborough City Council, said: “We’ve always felt that opening a temporary car park at Northminster would be the right thing to do.

“In these difficult times, it is more important than ever to help our city centre businesses by ensuring that customers have sufficient car parking spaces. By opening now we are also giving businesses and shoppers a helping hand ahead of the busy Christmas period.

“The long term future for Northminster is still to be decided, but we’re confident that this short term option is a welcome solution. The city centre is fairing well despite Covid-19 and has already bounced back to 97 per cent of its footfall (end of August 2020) – well above the national average. We will continue to work to ensure that it is a thriving, attractive place.”