Local leaders unite behind plan for Peterborough’s city centre

Local leaders unite behind plan for Peterborough’s city centre

The Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, the MP for Peterborough and the Leader of Peterborough City Council have set out a united case for action to transform the City Centre and unlock the city’s next phase of growth.   

Paul Bristow, Andrew Pakes and Dr Shabina Qayyum have written a joint letter* to Matthew Pennycook MP, Minister of State for Housing and Planning.  They argue that establishing a new Mayoral Development Corporation would provide the practical delivery vehicle needed to turn longstanding ambition into progress. 

This builds on the work already being led by Peterborough City Council, the Combined Authority and Homes England.  

The next step is likely to be a Growth Board that brings partners together and prepares for a future Mayoral Development Corporation at a moment when Peterborough has momentum, political alignment and a clear plan, and the focus must shift from strategy to delivery. 

Development Corporations are bodies established for the purpose of urban development responsible for regenerating urban areas, often possessing wide-ranging powers, including land acquisition and infrastructure provision. From 1968 to 1998 a Development Corporation expanded Peterborough considerably.  

The leaders highlight how a new body could bring greater pace, coherence and long term certainty to regeneration, housing delivery and job creation, helping unlock stalled sites, attract private investment and ensure growth translates into better paid jobs and improved quality of life for residents across the region 

They also reaffirm their backing for the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Local Growth Plan, which sets out an ambition to triple the size of the regional economy.  

They note that Peterborough is ready to be a national example of fast, well‑planned growth and regeneration. 

The letter also underlines the importance of decisions being taken locally. 

Paul Bristow, Mayor of Cambridgeshire & Peterborough said: “Peterborough needs the tools to get things done. The Local Growth Plan is clear about where we’re going, and a Development Corporation is about how we get there, joining up land, infrastructure and investment so growth works for communities. 

“This is a moment Peterborough should seize. We have alignment, ambition and opportunity.  

“When we work together, Peterborough delivers. That’s been true before, and it can be true again.” 

Andrew Pakes, MP for Peterborough said: “Peterborough is an amazing place with a proud history of rolling up its sleeves and getting things done. Our past proves that when Peterborough gets the investment it deserves, we become a hotbed of industry and growth, and our future deserves nothing less.  

This Development Corporation is our chance to change that, to turn momentum into action and unlock Peterborough’s full potential as a powerhouse of industrial and technical excellence.  

If you look at what we’ve already achieved by working together: funding for a new pool, a new Station Quarter, and a successful university campus, it shows what can be delivered here when everyone pulls in the same direction.” 

Councillor Shabina Qayyum, leader of Peterborough City Council, said: “By establishing a Mayoral Development Corporation our city will be able to move forward together, cohesively and at pace to transform the future of our city’s economy.  

“This is the right time and we have the right people around the table to make this happen.”

*Read the letter to Matthew Pennycook MP, Minister of State for Housing and Planning: https://cambridgeshirepeterborough-ca.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/PB-AP-SQ-MDC-Letter-1.pdf