The Mayor of Cambridgeshire and
Peterborough, the MP for Peterborough and the Leader of
Peterborough City Council have set out a united case for action
to transform the City Centre and unlock the city's next phase of
growth.
, Andrew Pakes and Dr
Shabina Qayyum have written a joint letter to MP, Minister of State for
Housing and Planning. They argue that establishing a
new Mayoral Development Corporation would provide the practical
delivery vehicle needed to turn longstanding ambition into
progress.
This builds on the work
already being led by Peterborough City
Council, the Combined Authority and Homes
England.
The next step is likely to be a
Growth Board that brings partners together and
prepares for a future Mayoral Development Corporation at a
moment when Peterborough has momentum, political alignment and a
clear plan, and the focus must shift from strategy to
delivery.
Development Corporations are
bodies established for the purpose of urban development
responsible for regenerating urban areas,
often possessing wide-ranging powers, including land
acquisition and infrastructure provision. From 1968 to 1998 a
Development Corporation expanded Peterborough
considerably.
The leaders highlight how a new body
could bring greater pace, coherence and long term certainty to
regeneration, housing delivery and job creation, helping unlock
stalled sites, attract private investment and ensure growth
translates into better paid jobs and improved quality of life for
residents across the region
They also reaffirm their backing for
the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Local Growth Plan, which sets
out an ambition to triple the size of
the regional economy.
They note that Peterborough is
ready to be a national example of fast,
well‑planned growth and
regeneration.
The letter
also underlines the importance of decisions being taken
locally.
, Mayor of Cambridgeshire &
Peterborough said: “Peterborough needs the tools to get things done. The
Local Growth Plan is clear about where we're going, and
a Development Corporation is about how we get there, joining up
land, infrastructure and investment so growth works for
communities.
“This is a moment Peterborough should
seize. We have alignment, ambition and
opportunity.
“When we work together, Peterborough
delivers. That's been true before, and it can be true
again.”
, MP for Peterborough
said: “Peterborough is an amazing place with a proud history of
rolling up its sleeves and getting things done. Our past proves
that when Peterborough gets the investment it deserves, we become
a hotbed of industry and growth, and our future deserves nothing
less.
This Development Corporation is our
chance to change that, to turn momentum into action and unlock
Peterborough's full potential as a powerhouse of industrial and
technical excellence.
If you look at
what we've already achieved by working together:
funding for a new pool, a new Station Quarter, and a successful
university campus, it shows what can be delivered here when
everyone pulls in the same
direction.”
Councillor Shabina Qayyum,
leader of Peterborough City Council,
said: “By establishing a Mayoral Development Corporation
our city will be able to move forward together, cohesively and at
pace to transform the future of our city's
economy.
“This is the right time and we have
the right people around the table to make this happen.”
