Mythbuster – Youth Zone
At a Cabinet meeting on 14 July 2026, Cabinet agreed to spend £410,000 worth of council funding to progress with designs for a new purpose-built £13 million Youth Zone for Peterborough.
It will enable national youth charity, OnSide Youth Zones Limited, to work with the council to progress detailed designs for the youth facility.
Read more here Councillors asked to consider £400k grant to progress exciting new Youth Zone in Peterborough | Peterborough City Council
There are still many misconceptions around the project which we would like to try and address
Myth: The Youth Zone is definitely going ahead in Peterborough
Fact: Planning permission hasn’t been submitted, let alone approved.
While the idea has been widely discussed for some time it was only in July that the council’s Children and Young People Scrutiny Committee, and subsequently the council’s Cabinet, agreed to move forward with the plan.
The cabinet decision was to approve £410,000 worth of council funding to progress with the designs, but there will still be further stages.
A report will be presented to Cabinet in late 2026, setting out a proposed legal relationship structure and providing a financial update for delivering a Youth Zone in Peterborough.
Myth: Decisions around the Youth Zone have been made by unelected officials (officers)
Fact: While council officers have played a key part in putting the project forward, all members of the Children and Young People Scrutiny Committee, and the Cabinet, are elected members of Peterborough City Council.
This project is very much being led by the council’s cabinet, members of which have collectively given their support for developing such a proposal.
Myth: This is a council-only project
Fact: It is our project – but the Cabinet decision was to enter into a grant agreement with OnSide, a national youth charity championing youth work and youth centres.
It's ethos is that ‘Every young person deserves opportunities, activities, and a place to belong.’
OnSide will deliver RIBA stage 3 designs and submit a planning application for the proposed Youth Zone.
Myth: There’s no financial plan for the scheme
Fact: We will apply to the Government’s Youth Matters Fund towards the Youth Zone project released in late 2026 administered by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).
This could attract up to 100 per cent of the cost of construction.
It is specifically focused on delivering long-term improvements in youth provision within underserved communities, supporting higher-quality services, sustainable facilities and stronger local partnerships.
Around £416 million is now available nationally, including approximately £260 million expected to support new capital projects
Myth: This will go ahead, funded or not
Fact: Should external funding not be secured, the council will carefully review the options available to ensure that any future decisions continue to focus on delivering the best possible outcomes for Peterborough’s young people.
Myth: Some have said on social media there are better locations for the Youth Zone and that an existing building should be used.
Our response: A robust site assessment process took place and the Embankment scored highest due to its prominence and accessibility.
Crucially, OnSide identified an opportunity not only to deliver a Youth Zone in this location but to connect with the Key Theatre and ARU Peterborough to support a wider offering for young people which could encourage them into arts and drama, and/or higher education.
In addition, OnSide has a standard construction model that cannot be easily replicated within an existing building. Redeveloping an existing building is often more expensive and would likely compromise on the level of offering therefore an undeveloped piece of land was preferred. The council aspires to create a cultural and leisure destination in this location, and the Youth Zone contributes to this along with improved riverside moorings and the new leisure centre.
Myth: The Youth Zone will completely cover the green space of the Embankment
Fact: As the plans show, the Youth Zone would be sited near the Lido and Key Theatre, as part of a vision to create a Cultural and Leisure Quarter - also comprising of Cygnet Bridge, the Lido, the new leisure development, ARU Peterborough and new Fletton Quays redevelopments.
The Youth Zone is expected to cover a footprint of approximately one acre of the roughly 25 acres of available public open space.
Please see the maps on our website which shows the level of green space that will remain if this development goes ahead. Peterborough Youth Zone | Peterborough City Council
Myth: We already have similar facilities in the city, so this is unneeded.
Fact: The Youth Zone will offer something new; typically, a Youth Zone offers 15 to 20 activity spaces under one roof, including a multi-use sports hall, climbing wall, dance and music studios, media recording suite, gym, arts space, mentoring rooms, cooking facilities and sensory spaces.
This creates exciting opportunities for young people to access activities, experiences and support that may not currently be available to them locally.
Myth: This will replace the facilities we already have
Fact: The Youth Zone is not intended to replace existing local youth provision, nor is it about choosing one provider over another.
Instead, it represents an investment in Peterborough’s young people and the wider youth sector, creating opportunities that will help every local youth organisation become better resourced, better connected and better supported.
The Youth Zone would operate a hub-and-spoke model with existing organisations and community groups, youth clubs and sports groups, forming part of the wider network of “spokes”.
While partnership working would be voluntary, organisations would have opportunities to collaborate, access facilities and equipment, share knowledge and benefit from training and youth work qualifications.
Myth: We don’t have experience in running something like this
Fact: OnSide will oversee the establishment of the Youth Zone and support the creation of a new independent local charity, led by local people, to manage and operate the facility.
In addition to delivering positive outcomes for young people, this will create employment opportunities through full time and part time roles, while also supporting a strong volunteer network.
Myth: The £410,000 being paid for plans/design is a waste of resources.
Fact: The £410,000 contribution from reserves is intended to maximise the likelihood of securing the funding for the overall project.
The strong design work and hopeful planning permission can demonstrate a clear council commitment to the project and to improving outcomes for young people, strengthening the overall funding application.
Myth: It will only help those in the city centre
Fact: The city centre location would mean it would be accessible by public transport, active travel routes and car, making it available to the widest possible range of young people.
Myth: It’s just a place for young people to mess around and loiter
Fact: The Youth Zone would act as the central “hub” for youth provision in Peterborough, housing specialist resources, facilities and expertise.
The facility will be a state-of-the-art-space, designed specifically for young people aged eight to 19, or up to 25, for those with disabilities or additional needs.
It will aim to improve the prospects of young people in the city, and provide a safe, inclusive, and inspiring space for young people to develop skills and confidence
Myth: You've not done any due diligence in relation to Onside. How do you know they're not just going to run away with your money?
Fact: OnSide Youth Zones is a national charity established in 2008. The council has been working with OnSide for several years, exploring opportunities for a Youth Zone in Peterborough. Its network currently has 15 open Youth Zones across the UK with several additional sites actively being developed, including Peterborough. As well undertaking the necessary financial checks, the council has visited a number of open facilities, and engaged with other councils to gain valuable intelligence and lessons learnt.