Regeneration of city continues to gather pace A number of new restaurants, bars, shops and businesses all opened their doors in Peterborough’s city centre during 2016. Food lovers are now able to sample the culinary delights of Wagamama, the Pizza Parlour and Cote Brasserie amongst others and people can relax and unwind with a drink in the Stoneworks, Bumble Inn and Puzzles bars. Other additions including the Tamu, Kaspa’s and Creations dessert lounges, will be joined this year by Middletons Steakhouse as well as a new pub and restaurant on St John’s Square. These new ventures have all been attracted to the city centre following a wide range of improvements to regenerate the area, and lots more is to come. Work has started on the new £120million Fletton Quays development on the city’s neglected South Bank area. This will bring 280 homes, offices and a hotel. The plans for redeveloping the council-owned former Whitworth Mill have started to be drawn up (which will deliver facilities that include a new arts and culture hub) and represent the final piece of the jigsaw in Fletton Quays’ comprehensive redevelopment. Once complete, we expect footfall to increase between the city centre and the south of the city. In readiness for this works are taking place to enhance the look and feel of Lower Bridge Street.
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This has included new paving to highlight the entrance to the Rivergate Shopping Centre and improved lighting and surfacing through the underpass which links to the river and Embankment. In addition, upgrades are being made to the pedestrian crossing which connects Bridge Street with Lower Bridge Street. The works are expected to be completed by the summer. Also in the pipeline are improvement works to Broadway, Midgate and Northminster. The works will bring these areas in line with other locations in the city centre, including Bridge Street, Long Causeway, Cathedral Square, St John’s Square and Cowgate. Another area of the city centre in line for comprehensive redevelopment is North Westgate. The council will invest up to £15million of capital funding over the next three years to buy land and property in this area so that it can take a lead role in its redevelopment. While a £7.5million investment in Millfield and New England is proposed for a wideranging regeneration project to benefit residents and businesses in the area. Similarly, the council is actively working to increase the availability of homes in the city, and has partnered with Cross Keys Homes in a new joint venture company that will build accommodation both for sale and rent.
Artist’s impression of Fletton Quays