Chancellor Rishi Sunak visits ARU Peterborough site

Chancellor Rishi Sunak visits ARU Peterborough site

Rishi Sunak visited the construction site of the ARU Peterborough university campus in the city on Thursday (November 18) to see how £20 million of government investment will support its development.

The new university campus, based at the Embankment, will help boost Peterborough’s economic recovery, and help develop the skills needed for the future. ARU Peterborough is a partnership between the Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority, Peterborough City Council and Anglia Ruskin University (ARU).

The Government’s investment will help develop phase 3 of ARU Peterborough. Part of the campus space will also be open to the public. The Living Lab, part of the phase 3 development, will be the centrepiece of the new University Quarter Cultural Hub. ARU Peterborough is due to open in September 2022, to up to 2,000 students and will continue to develop over the decade.

Peterborough is one of the five places in the East of England which received a share of £87 million from the first round of the £4.8 billion Levelling Up Fund, as announced by the Chancellor in last month’s Budget.

The Chancellor also met business owners in the city centre, including Bean Around coffee shop on Cathedral Square, Niro Fashion in Cumbergate and Fleur by Lizz in Queensgate.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak, said: “One of our key priorities is to level up the UK by spreading jobs, investment and opportunity.

“So it has been fantastic to come to Peterborough and see levelling up in action, with £20 million from our Levelling Up Fund transforming the city-centre site into a vibrant cultural hub that local people can be proud of, all while boosting jobs and the economy.”

Dr Nik Johnson, Mayor of Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority, said: “Making the case to Government for investment in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough is a vital part of what the Combined Authority does. So it is very welcome that the Chancellor has seen first-hand progress at the ARU Peterborough site as well as the results of investment to improve the city centre.

Councillor Wayne Fitzgerald, leader of Peterborough City Council, said: “The university already has Levelling Up funding and it is our intention to submit a bid to Government for additional funding to redevelop the Station Quarter. It was fantastic to welcome the Chancellor to our city to show him how extra Government cash can really make a difference.”

Professor Ross Renton, Principal of ARU Peterborough, said: “This new Levelling Up funding will help us deliver state-of-the-art facilities which will be of enormous benefit to our students, the people of the Peterborough and the wider region.

“The new development will include a publicly accessible science resource, called The Living Lab, which will be at the heart of the city’s new University Quarter. This will improve Peterborough’s cultural offering and create an exciting destination for both locals and visitors.”

MP for Peterborough, Paul Bristow, said: “A university is a decades-long ambition for Peterborough that is now happening before our eyes. ARU Peterborough will make a big impact to our long-term economic viability as a city and the day to day quality of life for its residents.