Inventing our future Collective action for a sustainable economy

What do we need to change?
The spatial response
Greater Peterborough sub-region
Peterborough cathedral
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Greater Peterborough sub-region
Environment city, inland port and
northern gateway
Overview
Peterborough is a major regional centre and gateway with an influence
that extends into the East Midlands region. The sub-region enjoys a
strategic location on the national road and rail network, allowing easy
access to national and international markets. More than 6,000 companies
are currently based within Peterborough, including some with their
regional and international headquarters based in the city. Peterborough
has demonstrated the strongest performance of the East of England cities
in the State of the English Cities report. However, recent population
growth appears to have slowed and the GVA growth is also reflective of
the 19,000 people who commute into the city.
163,000 people live in the unitary authority area of Peterborough and the
sub-region has experienced high levels of in-migration in recent years.
The regional spacial strategy is now targeting 25,000 additional houses
and 20,000 jobs for the sub-region building on a series of target sectors
and current strengths, in particular environmental technologies. This is to
be balanced with a concentration on improvements in the urban fabric
and renewal of the city centre, new housing and investment in new
educational and training opportunities, including the development of a
university presence.
Assets and opportunities
• a strong and continuing tradition of high-value manufacturing and a
current concentration of employment in banking, finance and
insurance services
• Environment City status and emerging and well-supported clusters in
environmental technologies and media, printing and publishing
• strong public sector employment presence with the continuing ability
to attract national agencies and organisations
• a key gateway to and from the region towards the Midlands and the
North, with good access to London and the Greater South East, with key
investments infrastructure, which has enabled an emerging proposal
for an ‘inland port’
• continuing strong growth, which will attract investment (eg to the city
centre)
• a strong commitment to new development and regeneration to tackle
some of the causes of economic underperformance, including
affordable housing provision and the quality of all developments
• presence of major companies including Thomas Cook Group, Hotpoint,
Pearl Assurance, Perkins Engines Co, Peter Brotherhood, Amp, EMAP,
British Sugar plc and Fairline Boats plc.