Peterborough's Fletton Quays partnership in line for three top honours

An aerial viewof the Fletton Quays site.

The Peterborough Investment Partnership (PIP) formed by Peterborough City Council and the GB Strategic Land Fund, has been praised for the way it brought the 20 acre brownfield site together to make it suitable for develpment.

The partnership was created specifically to tackle awkward and derelict sites in Peterborough that had proved unattractive to developers.

The Fletton Quays site, which sits alongside the River Nene, has been mostly derelict for 50 years. The mix of landownership and previous uses made it an unattractive proposition for developers seeking a problem-free or shovel ready site.

Now PIP has been shortlisted for three awards at the national 2018 Planning Awards for its work on the site.

It has been shortlisted for the Best Use of Brownfield Land, the Partnership Working award and the award for Mixed Use Development.

The awards recognise outstanding professional planning work, rewarding excellence in planning-related activities such as placemaking, urban design, economic development, housing, regeneration, legal advice and partnership working.

The completed scheme will include high-quality apartments, a hotel (plans have been approved for a Hilton Garden Inn), office accommodation, leisure and retail facilities, including plans for a whisky and gin distillery.

This image shows how the luxury apartments should appear when completed - sitting alongside a planned 'urban beach'.

The Grade II Listed Engine Sheds on the site are also being restored to their original condition, with an area being used for an arts and culture hub.

Councillor John Holdich, chair of the Peterborough Investment Partnership, said: “Construction at Fletton Quays has been underway for more than one year and the transformation of the site at the South Bank is striking.

"Anticipation is really growing for when the first areas of the site open later this year.

“It is fantastic for the development to be nominated for three Planning Awards as it is recognition of the vision and innovative approach the Peterborough Investment Partnership has taken to Fletton Quays.

"This has involved realising the full potential of this brownfield area of Peterborough which has been largely derelict since the 1970s.

"The partnership in place between all the organisations involved is delivered cohesively, responsively, and in a commercially viable manner.

"This will ensure that Fletton Quays will be a mixed-use scheme to benefit the whole of Peterborough economically and socially.”

The winners will be announced on June 6.

At last! Milestone for £120m Fletton Quays development in Peterborough after 30-year wait