The Peterborough Evening Telegraph
Time to make your views heard
We are at an important moment in Peterborough’s future development as a city. Earlier this year, the first stage of the Fletton Quays development was delivered. It will be complete by 2020.
And just last week, a planning application for North Westgate, which will include office accommodation, homes, cafes, restaurants, a hotel and a public square was signed off by planners.
These two important milestones, represent a new age for Peterborough, as it looks to transform into a larger city and a destination in its own right. Over the next 15 years, our population will grow from around 200,000 to 235,000. That’s a massive increase of over 17 per cent.
We are literally building the future. The infrastructure and landmarks our children and our children’s children will come to see as iconic to our city’s look and feel. That’s why it’s important we get it right.
LDA Design is a Peter- borough based landscape architect company, which specialises in redeveloping urban areas so they work best for the people that use them.
To give you an idea of their credentials, LDA were the brainchild behind the Olym- pic Park in London and its post-games transformation, the University College of London’s pioneering new campus and have won hundreds of awards for what they do. Now they have kindly agreed to lend their services to the council free of charge, to create a 20 page development framework - or blueprint - of what our city should look like in 2035.
As a Peterborough based firm, with city born and bred owners they have a vested interest in making this their most exciting and innovative creation yet.
The blueprint welcomes visitors to our city with a large plaza outside the train station, guides them through North Westgate, through the city centre and out to an arena/ concert hall by the river. After watching 2035’s equivalent of Ed Sheeran, you could then either catch a water taxi to Nene Park, pop up to the new university campus further up the Embankment, or grab a gin a tonic at the distillery at the Fletton Quays development and POSH stadium.
It’s a bold design, packed full of retail, leisure and entertainment features. But it’s one which will help secure our future as a larger city destination, boosting tourism and opportunities for local residents.
The design will be on our website from next week for you to comment on.
Our Trading Standard team have asked me to pass on a warning about rogue traders on our city centre streets who are approaching shoppers with seemingly genuine designer perfume and aftershave. While the traders have taken great care and attention to make sure the packaging resembles the latest fragrances from Chanel, Armani and Dior, the actual liquid itself is far from premium. Aside from the less than convincing smell, it’s highly likely to cause redness, itching and skin complaints for anyone who uses. I’d advise you to steer well clear.
To those of you who are planning a festive tipple or two over the Christmas period, please don’t be tempted to get behind the wheel and think carefully before driving the following morning.
Our colleagues from Cambridgeshire Police will be out and about again this year and will be looking out for you.
Finally, please head onto the homepage of our website this week and make sure you have your say on our Tranche Two budget proposals.
The public consultation closes at 5pm on Monday and all comments will be considered by councillors when we either approve or reject the document at Wednesday’s Full Council meeting.
The proposals show how we are planning to close a £20.7million gap in the council’s budget, following government budget cuts, so it’s important you have an opportunity to make your voice heard.