With over 1,600 jobs being created as a result of the proposed redevelopment of one of the old Peterborough brickworks, politicians need to consider how to upgrade the rail infrastructure in Peterborough and Fenland. (See also the Fenland Local Plan 2014)
See the Cambridge News report here. Also, you can view the documents via https://www.publicaccess.fenland.gov.uk/publicaccess and typing in F/YR24/0903/O into the ‘simple search’ box.
Above – the site on G-Maps next to Whittlesey, with the railway station bottom-right
The Planning Report
Above – from the Planning Application
And they want to turn the patch of land within the red box into the plan below:
Above – p3 Economic Impact Assessment
“EiBC [Their economic impact consultants] has estimated the gross direct employment and economic impacts from the PSTP development when it is operational, are as follows:
- 1,660 FTE jobs
- £59 million per annum additional wages
- £126 million per annum GVA uplift for the UK economy
In taking account of multiplier effects, this would bring the total annual GVA uplift to £239 million.“
Above – p8 Economic Impact Assessment
Interestingly, the proposals make provision for the existing recycling activities on site to continue.
…with an additional array of solar panels on the eastern edge, plus the various biodiversity improvements. (From the Proposed Site Plan documents)
Transport access
The site is walkable from Whittlesey according to their initial Travel Plan
Above – Travel Plan p23
However, this assumes that the local residents have the skills required to meet the demands of the firms setting up on the site once completed. Which is a very strong assumption – and when tested say against the data on poverty and multiple deprivation (there are more data sets and reports on Cambridgeshire Insight) shows that there is a huge risk of local residents not being able to access many of those jobs.
Therefore the Combined Authority – on whom much of the responsibility falls for further education and transport strategy, will need to think carefully about how it responds should Fenland District Council grant planning permission. (In the grand scheme of things I can imagine the prospect of lots of jobs in Fenland is a positive one – and even if they had strong reservations, the likelihood of a Planning Inspector overturning it may concentrate minds given past form and new government policies).
Woeful bus services
P28 of the Travel Plan puts into perspective the job that Nik Johnson’s bus reforms have got to deal with. What hope to people on low incomes in rural areas have if the main existing bus services look like this?
Above – P28 of the Travel Plan
The isolation of Chatteris (bottom right) looks all the more striking. Which is one of the reasons why I’ve repeatedly suggested suburban/light rail loops that pair up on a shared line between Ramsey and Chatteris (The beige-shaded areas at the foot of the map image above) with one loop serving Peterborough, Wisbech, and Fenland while the other serve Cambridge, Ely, Huntingdon, and St Ives).
Above – note in principle there would be nothing to stop the scheduling of a loop service from Peterborough to March via Whittlesey on the existing railway line before it switches onto a proposed loop line that I mentioned here. If anything, there’s merit in providing the Combined Authority with powers to tax medium-to-large employment sites for the costs of constructing and running such infrastructure and services respectively in order to reduce road congestion in the face of a growing population.
“Why are they using 2011 Census Data in 2024?”
Above – Transport Assessment Document 2 (a separate one), p53
Anyone know? Is there a commercial reason for it? Do they not trust the 2021 results because of the impact of the pandemic?
***Oooh! Railways get a mention! Well I’m glad they’re getting something – they have a hell-of-a-time!***
“The Local Strategy outlines the station regeneration scheme at March, Manea and
Whittlesey Railway Stations which includes new waiting shelters on platforms, additional
cycle parking and new ticket machines, as well as a new pedestrian bridge between the
platforms at Whittlesey Railway Station to avoid waiting at the level crossing to access the
other platform.”
The document also mentions the Fenland Rail Development Strategy 2011-31 – progress update?
“We have now added 4 additional projects to the strategy which are the electrification of the Peterborough to Ely line, direct services from Fenland to London, the Wisbech to March rail line and rail connections from Chatteris. During the public consultation you told us that you would like to see these included in the Fenland Rail Development Strategy and we agree that they are important and should be included.”
If anyone campaigning for better public transport links to Chatteris wants to make the case for building a new railway link to the market town as part of the construction of the proposed reservoir, this strategy voted through in 2012 supports that case. Hence my point in an earlier blogpost on Wisbech Rail about the various currently separate schemes being incorporated into a wider strategic plan
Food for thought?
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