On Monday June 27, the Combined Authority Board unanimously backed a proposal to withdraw £3,427,800 of Active Travel funding to help build a new pedestrian walkway linking Fletton Quays and the Embankment in the city centre.
The money would fund the entire business case and physical construction costs, but is still subject to approval by the government’s Department of Leveling, Housing and Communities of Peterborough’s bid for support of £6 million from the Towns Fund.
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A new bridge over the River Nene in Peterborough ‘will cost £5million’
A key part of the Towns Fund for Peterborough is the masterplan for the quay and £2m matching funding for the design and construction of this additional crossing of the River Nene to improve walking and cycling routes between the north and south of the city.
Current pedestrian and cycle links between the two venues and the town center have been described by the Combined Authority as ‘inadequate, with poor infrastructure along busy town center roads’.
The new gateway will provide a safe and direct link plugging into the “green wheel” and help create a more connected active travel network, which can contribute to the goal of reducing car use by 20% in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.
The Fletton Quays and Embankment areas of Peterborough have been identified as sites of opportunity by the Peterborough City Center Development Framework as plans for Fletton Quays, when completed, include over 350 riverside apartments , offices, hotel and restaurant, as well as leisure and retail opportunities. .
Peterborough City Council Leader Cllr Wayne Fitzgerald said: “I’m so happy to see this project come to fruition as we’ve had a lot of hurdles to overcome and it’s been a long ask from of CPCA.
“The previous mayor formalized some basic parts of this project on paper, but I want to highlight the positive aspects of the Active Travel program, of which this is a project.
“Peterborough has signed up for the Active Travel scheme, but it has to be the right kind of Active Travel project, not something scribbled on the back of a cigarette pack for an idea.
“All the initiatives included in this document, and in particular the bridge, will be a big boost in getting people in and out of the city, separating cars, bicycles and pedestrians – which is what we are all trying to achieve. , and its often difficult to do so.
“But these are positive steps and it takes a lot of money and investment to get there, and again I want to thank the team of officers from CPCA and Peterborough City Council for all the long and hard work they put in to bring this project to where it is today.
The Combined Authority Board has also unanimously approved a proposal to draw £750,000 of Active Travel funding from its medium-term financial plan for the Peterborough Green Wheel cycleway upgrade, along with a feasibility study.
The Green Wheel cycle path is a signed route around the outskirts of Peterborough, with ‘spokes’ leading from the town center to the edge of the ‘wheel’.
It includes both on-road and off-road sections and is over 45 miles long. The first sections were opened in 2000 and, while this is primarily a leisure route, some sections will lend themselves to commuting.
The Green Wheel contains designated sections of the National Cycle Network (routes 12, 53 and 63) and its ‘spokes’ provide not only connections from central Peterborough but also shorter routes, ideal for first-timers on a bike or for family groups.
The Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, Dr Nik Johnson, said:
“It is essential that the imaginative redevelopment of the Embankment and Fletton Quays areas is supported by joint walking and cycling routes which can encourage and meet increased demand – improving public health and fitness and helping to reduce car journeys .
“Many people have reduced mobility and this footbridge, linked to the green wheel, will not only make Peterborough easier and more enjoyable to navigate on foot and by bike, but will also help improve accessibility.
Peterborough City Council will carry out all phases of the projects, including design, construction and site supervision.
