I firmly believe that Peterborough is a city on the up and walking around the Embankment and Fletton Quays right now is ample proof of this.
With Cygnet Bridge being built and construction of the riverside flats, you can really sense forward momentum, which is set to be further increased with some exciting developments planned for this area.
These include our plans to deliver Peterborough’s new Sports Quarter leisure development, which is set to take another major step forward with Cabinet being asked to formally accept an anticipated £20m Government grant.
Members will be asked at this month’s meeting to accept and use the £20m Growth Mission Fund grant from the Department for Business and Trade towards the cost of a new eight-lane, 25-metre swimming pool.
Cabinet will also be asked to approve entering into Development Management Agreements with Alliance Leisure Services (ALS) Limited to progress early works and main construction for the new facility, so that it can open in autumn 2028.
This latest update follows the submission of a planning application in July for the development which will form part of a sports quarter for the city. Plans also include a 20m activity pool, cafe, family play, health and wellbeing rooms, a 150-station fitness suite and two studios, plus a spin studio.
Meanwhile, plans to transform an historic railway goods shed into an independent food hall and entertainment venue are to be discussed.
Cabinet will also be asked to approve selling the building at Fletton Quays to Brick and Bond Properties Ltd. Several bids were received from interested parties, with a food hall-led development being the preferred use, so watch this space.
Over the coming months, residents will begin to see the vast amount of investment planned for this area and our overall vision beginning to take shape. I’ve already mentioned Cygnet Bridge and the Sports Quarter, but we also have exciting plans for a Youth Zone and hope to see the Hilton hotel opened following its recent sale.
These developments show a real commitment to investing in our city and providing new and improved facilities for residents and visitors to enjoy.
Our work to improve the look and feel of our city centre is well under way following the success of Operation Horizon last week.
I joined councillors and partners for the three-day initiative which focussed on cleaning up our city centre streets and tackling the issues which blight the area.
Streets were washed, street drinkers handed fines, trees were pruned and weeds removed, litter picking took place on the Embankment, along with parking enforcement and rough sleeper outreach work.
This work signals the start of a positive new era for the city centre, with a City Impact Team being set up. This team will operate on a long-term basis and has the same goals and ambitions. Put simply, we are returning to the basics of being visible, approachable and working with our partner organisations to tackle issues quickly and effectively.
I also attended Thorpe Residents Association Meeting last week with Central Ward Councillor Khurram Iqbal and officers who gave a presentation on the Station Quarter works. Concerns around pedestrian access and concrete were highlighted. I pledged to look into these issues and overall it was a very positive meeting.
Finally, I would urge everyone to please take part in a national consultation on the future of adult social care, announced recently by Prime Minister Andy Burnham.
'The Big Conversation on Care' is part of ongoing work by the Independent Commission on Adult Social Care, also known as the Casey Commission. It's being led by Baroness Louise Casey, who was asked by the Prime Minister to consider how adult social care should change to meet the needs of current and future generations, and to make recommendations for reform. For more information on the Big Conversation and to take part visit the Casey Commission’s website.