Key points in the plans

wider estate. These improvements will enhance our capacity to receive increasing numbers of visitors and address increasing pressure on wildlife by shaping and managing the park and by looking beyond our current park boundaries to support the management of existing and new green space in the city and surrounding area.

“The proposals in this Master Plan will only go forward when funding has been secured. We will need to be creative in finding new and innovative funding, support and delivery models.”

Trust bosses are in no doubt about the scale of the task involved. The report adds: “Implementing the Master Plan will involve a huge collective effort to secure support, influence, funding and other resources. It will involve volunteers, staff, trustees, supporters and partners from the community and from charitable, public and private sectors from Peterborough and beyond.” At the forefront of the Master Plan is the intention to increase the amount of green space in Peterborough.

It aims to create green routes from the Embankment to Thorpe Meadows and it states in five years’ time, the trust will be caring for Thorpe Lea Meadows on behalf of the city council.

If housing plans are approved for Castor, the trust will help to create a new public greenspace by 2031. It also plans to help create safe routes from Flag Fen to the Embankment.

It also promises some exhilarating new attractions such as the safe and managed “wild swimming” in Gunwade Lake and low and high ropes and climbing walls will be on offer at Lakeside Recreation.

The Master Plan wants to create a “biodiversity rich landscape” and grow the park with fun events to cel- ebrate trees, new cameras to show wildlife on screens at the Visitors’ Centre, the establishment of a memorial arboretum, and more sensory spectacles of garden and wild flowers plus improved entrances to the park. There are plans to improve art links to city centre working with artists and install new sculptures in the park. Creating local food systems with the Nene Orchards and Green Fingers scheme are also listed.

To develop the park’s heritage attractions, there will be a Normangate Heritage Centre in the western part of the park and the station master’s cottage garden at Ailsworth will be restored.

The Ferry Meadows Visitor Centre will be transformed. Visitors will be able to stay overnight at a new visitors’ accommodation and by 2050 renewable energy will power the park’s facilities.