City's Local Plan set to be reviewed again

A plan for 20,000 new homes in Peterborough has been sent back to the council's cabinet for further consideration.

The Local Plan is a key document that guides where new housing and employment infrastructure should be built, and identifies areas that should be protected. It was approved by cabinet in August, but was called in by the Conservative group.

At Peterborough City Council's scrutiny meeting, councillors agreed to refer the decision back to a cabinet meeting due to take place on 1 October.

Conservative group leader Wayne Fitzgerald said there were "serious flaws" in the approval process. "We want to see a fair, open and transparent process that involves all elected members," he said.

Three Conservative councillors - Kirsty Knight, Steve Allen and Asim Mahmood - asked for the final draft of the Local Plan to be looked at again.

They pointed to a last-minute decision to remove plans for industrial units to be built on 115.5 hectares (285 acres) of land north of the Old River Nene in Stanground.

They questioned the evidence supporting its removal and asked how future employment needs would be met elsewhere.

At the Economy, Inclusive Growth and Environment Scrutiny Committee meeting, members determined that the grounds for call-in had been established, citing concerns that the decision-making process had not fully considered all reasonable alternatives or involved sufficient officer consultation.

Numan Ali Iqbal, cabinet member for growth and regeneration at Peterborough City Council, said it was "disappointing" that the decision had been referred back to cabinet, but acknowledged it was the right thing to properly scrutinise "this very important document for our city's growth".

"As a city of growth and expansion, it is imperative that development takes place in a planned and organised way which would benefit the city's long-term sustainable growth - with the needs of our residents firmly in mind," he added.

Do you have a story suggestion for Peterborough? Contact us below.

Follow Peterborough news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.