Final respects paid

The funeral for Wyndham Thomas was held at Peterborough Crematorium on Friday. Mr Thomas was head of the Peterborough Development Corporation which turned Peterborough from a market town into a flourishing city with attractions including Queensgate Shopping Centre and Nene Park.

He died on December 2 at Peterborough City Hospital aged 95, with many people paying tribute to his contribution to the city. Mr Thomas, a husband of 72 years and great grandfather, was made a freeman of the city back in March 2015 in recognition of his 14 years in charge of the development corporation which was tasked with turning Peterborough into one of the government’s sought after New Towns in order to take pressure off of London.

Among his triumphs was the creation of Nene Park (including Ferry Meadows), the parkway system and Queensgate, which opened in 1982 with a flagship John Lewis store.

He also engineered the arrival of former travel giant Thomas Cook into the city.

Mr Thomas was born in born in south Wales in 1924. He joined the Army, serving as a lieutenant in the Royal Welch Fusiliers from 1943 to 1947.

He married Betty in 1947 and moved to Hemel Hempstead where he became mayor. At the time he would have been the youngest mayor ever to be appointed.

He was made vice-president of the Town and Country Planning Association in 1992 as well as a member of the council of the Royal Town Planning Institute. He was also awarded the CBE for his work in the New Towns project. Among those who attended the funeral on Friday were Peterborough City Council chief executive Gillian Beasley, Mayor of Peterborough Cllr Gul Nawaz, and former council leader Charles Swift.