'Significant milestone' reached for station revamp

Plans to transform Peterborough's railway station and the area around it have reached a "significant milestone", according to the city council.

It comes as a full business case for the city's Station Quarter revamp has been submitted to the government.

If approved by the Department for Transport, Peterborough City Council would be able to access about £50m of Levelling Up funding secured in March 2023, with the work expected to start within six months.

The project, which would cost £65m in total, includes a new western station entrance, a pedestrianised square and a multi-storey car park.

Earlier, the council's cabinet authorised the expenditure of a Towns Fund grant of nearly £1.5m relating to the city-link phase of the works.

This would focus on removing the underpass at the Queensgate roundabout by raising the ground level to form an easier route to the city centre.

Nick Thulbourn, cabinet member for growth and regeneration, said: "This milestone marks a significant step towards transforming the station area into a vibrant and more pleasant gateway into our city.

"Projects of this size don't come around often, and lots of hard work has gone into developing the detailed designs.

"There's still much to do, of course, but I'm excited to hopefully see spades in the ground later in the year for the city-link, as the first package of works."

Dr Nik Johnson, mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, said: "We're making real progress on this landmark project, creating a more welcoming station area for both residents and visitors while unlocking huge opportunities for jobs, homes and economic growth."

Robin Dobson, of Network Rail, said: "The submission of the full business case is an important step in moving this partnership project forward and delivering transport-led regeneration for the people of East Anglia."

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