The Peterborough Evening Telegraph
EmbAnkment: WhAt should Happen next? asked senior figures of all major election issues...
What should happen to Peterborough’s Embankment area? The PT partys to have their say in the first of a series of spotlights on key local
Ahead of local elections on May 6, which will see 23 seats on Peterborough City Council being contested, the Peterborough Telegraph is offering party leaders the chance to have their say on some of the biggest issues.
This week we asked what they believe should happen to the Embankment.
Debate has been circling around the cherished green space where the city’s new university will be based, while Peterborough United also have plans to build a new stadium there. The senior politicians were offered 500 words and below are their responses.
JULIE HOWELL • (GREEN PARTY)
Peterborough Green Party recognises that these are extremely important plans for the future of the football club and the city. We would like to see a decision made that is best for the football club, fans and residents.
It is vital for the football club, fans and wider community that we get this decision right as we don’t wish to see years of rows over a soulless stadium like the Ricoh Arena in Coventry which has caused nearly two decades of problems for the football club and for the city of Coventry.
We also have concerns that the Embankment is a floodplain. No one wants to see Peterborough United’s fixtures regularly cancelled due to a waterlogged pitch, let alone the surface run-off water that could affect other buildings in the area because we have overdeveloped most of the floodplain.
Parking is already an issue around the current London Road site. How many parking spaces will need to be provided for large events and where will those parking spaces be situated? What extra access roads will need to be built and how will these issues affect the residents of East ward?
There are so many unanswered questions and the public have not yet been provided
with the full details and plans, nor have we as councillors.
We would like other sites to be considered, such as the Westgate area. This area was earmarked for a shopping centre, although given the changes to retail demand post-Covid this could be considered as a suitable alternative ‘brownsite’ space. The former Greyhound Arena could also be investigated, or we could explore the space on the other side of the Fletton Parkway which would ensure we keep open green spaces and floodplains free from overdevelopment.
In a recent interview, Cllr Wayne Fitzgerald declared Conservative support for the Embankment as the preferred location of the new stadium. However, can the Conservatives really be trusted when at a Full Council meeting in March 2021 Cllr Peter Hiller, cabinet member for strategic planning and commercial strategy for investments, said: “No further decisions
have been taken on any future development on the Embankment. The Local Plan… does indeed protect the Embankment from inappropriate development. I can also be absolutely clear that any future development would not be consistent with our Local Plan.” The Conservatives are saying one thing and then doing another.
Peterborough Green Party wants what is best for all involved and there needs to be full consultation with residents once details of the plans have been made public.
This needs to be an open and transparent process that residents, the city and the football club fully engage and participate in.
We want the best for Peterborough United Football Club as they make their final push to get back into the Championship, in balance with the needs of residents in Peterborough. Getting this decision right will help our club and our communities succeed on and off the pitch.
NICK SANDFORD (LIBERAL DEMOCRAT)
•
I think it is important that Peterborough has a successful football club because of all the economic benefits that will bring for the city.
But I also recognise the importance of the Embankment as the only significant area of green open space in the city centre. In normal times it is home to the country’s second largest beer festival and a range of other events. Having access to green space for exercise is really important for people’s health as has clearly been shown during the current coronavirus pandemic.
It’s important to keep Peterborough United in the city centre if at all possible. If they can’t redevelop their current ground then it makes sense to find them another site nearby. Having the club move to the outskirts of the city, into the countryside or even to another town, as has happened with other clubs, runs the risk of cutting the club off from much of its fanbase and creating all manner of transport and environmental issues.
The thing that annoys me most about this whole process is something which has been typical of Tory run Peterborough for the past 20 years: lack of transparency and lack of consultation.
Over a year ago we were promised there would be a masterplan produced for the Embankment area. A Full Council resolution asked for full public consultation on the masterplan and our council leaders promised it would happen. So, where is it and when is the consultation going to happen?
If there is no masterplan development on the Embankment will happen in a piecemeal manner and the danger is we will lose the green space bit by bit.
The football club has issued statements that would suggest that plans are well advanced for a proposed site on the Embankment but, despite this, various questions asked of the Conservative administration to confirm these plans have been met with denial that any plans exist.
There may be mitigating reasons for allowing the use of this open space: for example, the site of the current stadium could be converted to open space provision for local residents to enjoy. Also, the remaining open space on the Embankment could be enhanced to encourage better usage and enjoyment by residents and visitors to the city and increased value for nature.
Let’sbeinnodoubtthatthis situation has been brought about by an arrogant Conservative administration that feels that the Cabinet and the Cabinet alone is able to make decisions that affect the citizens of our great city without consultation with councillors or the people of Peterborough themselves,
After over 20 years of the Conservatives running the council they have lost touch with the electorate and are too focused on vanity projects. This city needs new ideas and a more open and responsive council.
Supporting the Liberal Democrats in this round of elections is the key to delivering the change this city so desperately needs.
SHAZ NAWAZ (LABOUR)
•
Is the Embankment a green lung, an area ripe for development or a ‘sacred cow’?
Older ‘Peterborians’ may recall evening strolls alongside the river. Younger people are attracted by the festivals and the beer festival; occasional use events and a chance to be ‘down by the riverside’.
Whatever your view, the most important thing is to keep an open mind. Whilst we are on the edge of perhaps the most fertile area in the country that produces many of our crops, open space in the city is at a premium.
Peterborough United wish to build a new ground and it is to serve as a concert arena attracting the best in sport, leisure and entertainment that befits an ambitious city.
We need to be mindful of the ‘green’ agenda and overdevelopment of any area of our city. The Labour group is committed to an economic green recovery. We want the environment to be at the heart of everything we do. We claim to be the UK’s Environment Capital, after all, don’t we?
It means a delicate balance where the pressures on the green space need to be balanced against the need for the city to grow and develop. The reality is there isn’t a ‘once size fits all’ solution. It therefore behoves the Labour group to remain forward thinking, considering all options and consulting with the community each, and every, step of the way.
We must balance demand with supply and consult widely with all stakeholders, not just those with a financial interest in developing there. We also need to be mindful of the Local Plan. That is an important document which sets out what can be built, in which area, alongside helping determine future pattern of development.
What is extremely important to me as Labour group leader is that we involve, engage and listen to all sides of the argument. The people of Peterborough need to be heard and, as local politicians, we need to listen attentively.
We will also look at other cities, home and abroad, that have met the challenge of environmental and ecological protection whilst recognising the needs of enterprise and economic development.
The Labour Party is based on fairness and diversity and it will be wrong of us not to consider all parties, all views and all options. We will look at all the alternatives and risk assess to ensure the benefits outweigh the damage that may be caused by developing this area. To say no stone will be left unturned is something of a cliché but we will ensure that will happen without falling victim to ‘paralysis by analyses’.
We are open to all idea and are here to listen. We will formulate an opinion once we have heard all sides of the argument because that’s what is expected of us and we will live up to that expectation. This excludes planning committee members because they are not permitted to form a view as that would predetermine how they may vote at planning committee.
WAYNE FITZGERALD • (CONSERVATIVE)
It is the majority view of the Peterborough Conservative group that the Embankment should be sensitively re-developed, making it a wonderful destination all year round. We would like it to become a jewel in the crown of the city, attracting more visitors and providing more economic growth and jobs for local people.
For many it’s just a large muddy field with no proper facilities to speak of and only in use occasionally for the beer festival and the occasional event or concert. If redeveloped, these events would of course continue. We are certainly not saying it should be concreted or tarmacked over, but we would like to see much more happening on the site.
Subject to the full planning process we would, for example, support the building of a multi-use arena such as the one the owners of Peterborough
United are suggesting. This would not only improve the footballing experience for all Posh fans in the city but would also allow for more live concerts, conferencing and other family events throughout the year.
All concerns regarding development of the site that have been raised would be discussed in public. Some of the major issues to be addressed are the potential flood risks, the noise associated with live events, traffic congestion and car parking. These would be dealt with as part of the planning process. The public are also encouraged to have their say.
We would like to see at the Embankment’s heart a “green” scheme that sensitively takes in the best of what we already have along the river front, yet incorporates and enhances the natural beauty of the surrounding habitat, increasing the biodiversity of the site.
We would also look to enhance the existing river front and, following the example of many cities, it should be something we make more use of. There would places where you could eat and drink and picnic in the warmer months, with modern toilet facilities which many people would appreciate and find essential.
I know there are some who will not agree with this vision owing to concern about the loss of any green open space. My response would be that the benefits such a scheme would bring to the city can be overwhelmingly justified. And let’s not forget that nearby we would still have Central Park, Itter Park, Bretton Park and of course Ferry Meadows, all of which are beautiful open green spaces.
The Embankment is approximately 70 acres overall and, if the site were redeveloped and it included an arena which would require some nine acres or so, it still leaves a large amount of green open space for all to enjoy right in the heart of the city.
Finally, the Embankment today is a somewhat neglected area of the city and it now needs some care, attention and investment. We believe that the Conservatives are the only team that will genuinely deliver this, but only if we remain in control of the city council after the elections on May 6.