Call to ‘act now’ on campus plan

To the people of Peterborough: You are about to lose some of your trees and green spaces plus the beer festival, concert area and indoor swimming pool. You need to act now if you are concerned about these things.

After waiting for months for Peterborough City Council to consult us ontheir plans and ask for our opinions concerning the loss of our green spaces and the building of both a university and football stadium onourEmbankment area things are now speeding ahead.

It will soon be too late to object.

The‘ Notification of planning application’ ref 20/01044/R4FUL was issued on August 20, 2010 (my letter didn’t arrive until August 27).

You have until September 15 to send in your comments.

This concerns the ‘Erection of three storey building and change of use of the land to formuniversity, creation of vehicular access, car parking andassociated infrastructure and landscaping’.

Your need togo online athttps://www.peterborough.gov. uk/publicaccess.

If you can’t get through the ITwriteto, buttheypreferyou notto, thefollowing: Peterborough City Council, Planning Services, Sand Martin House, Bittern Way, Fletton Quays, Peterborough PE2 8TY

Although this planning ap

plication only covers the area approximately of the old Wirrina car park, wemustextend this to cover the whole scheme as some of the over 1,000 pages in the planning documents cover this:

1) Thelossof ‘our’ trees and green spaces.

2) The loss of another public car park.

3) Thelossof Bishop’s Road recreation ground (to be a car park for the regional pool)?

4) The loss of the public’s use of the regional fitness and swimming centre. I understand this is now to be a Students Unioncomplexwith accommodation, restaurants and a night club and bars.

5) The loss of the Embankment for the use of the beer festival and concerts.

6) Possible loss of the Embankment sports and athletics area.

7) It is not clear if the public will still have access to the entire Embankment riverside path. I wouldobject to the loss of this right of way.

8) Loss of former public football pitches/ parkland off

Bishop’s Roadnextto the flyover (previously the site of the prefabs).

9) On a plan t he area against the river embankment it states ‘the open space will continue to be used for ‘open air beer festival and craft festivals’.

Note concerts have not been mentioned. Now not mentioned in the application documents they intend to insert the new Posh stadium with a capacity for 19,500 people plus , I assume, associated infrastructure works such as access roads and car parks.

10) We have not been given a chance to discuss or object to this earlier with the council, although one of the documents states we have.

There was an information meeting in early February which some of my neighbours attended given by two people who limited the subject to the Wirri na car park site and stated :‘ They were thereto show some pictures and things were only at the talking stage’.

11) Consider the construction traffic mostly coming from Fengate with some path and road closures and the noise and air pollution. Although working hours are intended to be 7am to 6pm, ‘on occasion it may be necessary to vary these hours’. Mud and unwanted debris is expected on the highways but wheel washing will be required to reduce it.

It seems the council, the mayor of the combined authority and our own MP are all for this scheme.

The articles I have read in the local press state they are pushing it through. I consider this is being forced through under the radar on the back of covid 19.

What to do:

Visit the website read the documents come to your own conclusions. Object or agree it’s yourchoice. Actnow! Time is running out.

Andy Cole via email