City station regeneration gets government approval

A £65m project to regenerate the area around a city centre railway station has been approved by the government.

A full business case for a new station quarter in Peterborough was submitted to the Labour government in March.

The approval has unlocked nearly £48m in government funding towards the plans, which include a new western station entrance, pedestrianised square and multi-storey car park.

Paul Bristow, the Conservative mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, said it was "fantastic news" for the city.

"We've got the green light and we now want to get building," he said.

Bristow, who was the MP for Peterborough between 2019 and 2024, was elected as the Combined Authority mayor earlier this month.

He said: "I played a big part in securing this funding when I was the local MP [and] a key reason I stood to be mayor was to see through major projects like this."

The rest of the build would be funded by Peterborough City Council and other partners, such as investors.

The Combined Authority, Peterborough City Council, LNER and Network Rail have been joint partners in the project.

The first phase of works plans to create a new pedestrian and cycling route between the station and the city centre, replacing an existing underpass at Cowgate.

The wider project would see a new western entrance to the station and a multi-storey car park on the station's west side, with refurbished station buildings to the east.

There would also be new public spaces for people to meet and socialise.

Previous estimates suggested construction could start in the next year, with wider development of the station quarter expected to continue up to 2028.

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