The Peterborough Evening Telegraph
Minister opens new Government hub
A multi-million pound Government hub at Peterborough’s flagship regeneration site has been officially declared open by a Cabinet Office minister.
To the applause of hundreds of civil servants, Alex Burghart MP cut a red ribbon across the front doors of the six-storey offices of Quay House in Fletton Quays to mark its opening.
The Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office told staff: “It’s a real pleasure to be here in Peterborough to see this fantastic new building and not just because it representsthe excellent investment in this part of town but also because it gives me a chance to see how you as officials are being looked after .”
The new offices will house staff from the Passport Office, which used to be based in North minster, in Peterborough,along with staff from the Department of or Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and which includes about 30 staff of the Environment Agency’ s Flood Forecasting team.
In total, 320 staff from the Environment Agency staff have moved from Kingfisher House, another 120 Natural England staff have relocated fromUn ex House and 185 Joint Nature Conservation Committee staff have arrived from Monkstone House.
Mr Burghart said: “This is fantastic new building that is on what was once a brown field site not so long ago.
“It will house about 1,000 civil servants as part of the Government’s commitment to Peterborough and that is part of wider package of investment that includes the university and much more.
"Fifty civil servants have come from Westminster to be here and this consolidation of buildings is a good way of improving the working space, of making sure we are getting our net zero commitments in order and in doing so we have a big new building, which has provided good work for local construction and servicing companies.
Mr Burghart said the Government had put in £26 million to the £120 million costs of the regeneration of Fletton Quays.
S hail eshVar aMP, in whose North West Cambridgeshire constituency the hub is situated, said: "It's great to see the additional 1,000 jobs that the hub has created, demonstrating that the Government' s Level ling Up programme is having such a positive impact locally .”