Showground explainer
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Plans for a new 1,500 home development and leisure complex to be built on the East of
00:04England showground are among the most controversial in Peterborough at the moment, and there have
00:08been a number of updates on the plans this week.
00:11The proposals include 1,500 homes and a £50m leisure village that have been drawn up by
00:15the showground promoters AEPG, which has been appointed by landowners, the East of England
00:20Agricultural Society, to secure a new use for the site, which the society says it no
00:25longer needs.
00:26The showground has been home to Speedway, Truckfest, antiques festivals and scores of
00:30other events over the years.
00:32AEPG has submitted two outlying planning applications.
00:35One is for 650 homes which are already allocated for part of the site by the council in its
00:40local plan.
00:41The other is for 850 homes plus the development's leisure feature, called Cultura Place.
00:47The leisure village will include an indoor arena, a court for paddle, two-storey golf
00:51driving range, a zip coaster, climbing wall, bungee trampolines and many other activities.
00:56An indoor family entertainment centre could contain a range of activities including table
01:00tennis, bowling, 12-hole adventure golf, pool and football tables and climbing walls.
01:05The village would also include a 250-bed hotel, school and retirement village.
01:10The first update is that an application from Speedway France and Autumn Waterville Parish
01:14Council to have the track made an asset of community value has been rejected.
01:19If the application to the City Council had been accepted, it could have been used as
01:22a reason to prevent demolition for five years.
01:24However, as the council said it was unlikely Speedway would return to the venue in that
01:28time, the move was rejected.
01:30We have also learnt that a planning committee will consider the plans on October 15th.
01:35Councils will decide whether to give the green light to the plans on that date.
01:38A 30-day consultation period is underway in the run-up to the meeting, with the consultation
01:42closing on October 5th.
01:44You can have your say on the plans by searching for the East of England showground on the
01:47council's planning website.