Peterborough City Council is yet to provide a substantive response to a Freedom of Information (FOI) request seeking clarity on its role, as freeholder, in a long-term leasing arrangement at the former Woodlands sports and leisure centre in Castor — a deal that saw a £1.7 million uplift in value within a year.
The FOI request, submitted by CambsNews in November 2025, asks what involvement the council had in a 2017 decision by Nene Park Trust (NPT), a registered charity, to grant a 970-year lease over part of the Woodlands site to Starleen Investments Ltd, an overseas entity.
It also seeks details of any council consent, valuations, governance approvals, and correspondence connected to the transaction.
At the time of writing, the request remains unanswered.
The Woodlands site covers approximately 8.77 acres and was purpose-built in the late 1980s for Pearl Assurance as a private sports and leisure facility for its Peterborough workforce.
The land forms part of the wider Nene Park estate. Peterborough City Council retains the freehold, while Nene Park Trust holds a 999-year head lease dating from 1988.
In January 2017, NPT granted Starleen Investments Ltd a 970-year lease over the eastern portion of the Woodlands site for £365,000 plus VAT.
In 2018, Starleen granted a near-identical 969-year lease to Country Court Care for £2.1 million, enabling the development of what is now Castor Lodge care home.
The difference between the two premiums — around £1.7 million before costs — raises questions about governance and oversight.
Starleen’s role appears to have been that of an investment and development vehicle, and there is no suggestion that it acted unlawfully.
Public records show Starleen Investments Limited is an overseas entity registered in the UK, with a registered address at Trident Chambers, Road Town, Tortola, in the British Virgin Islands.
Limited information is available about its officers or beneficial owners, which is typical for offshore structures. Its known activities suggest it functions as a private investment holding company with UK property interests.
CambsNews’ FOI request does not claim that the council disposed of the freehold, which remains in council ownership. Instead, it asks whether the council gave consent to the 2017 sub-lease and, if so, what considerations were taken into account.
Under the terms of the original head lease, certain disposals and underletting by NPT require the freeholder’s consent. In local government law, the granting of consent to a very long lease can, in some circumstances, be treated as a form of land disposal, even where the freehold is retained.
For that reason, the FOI asks whether the council obtained or reviewed independent valuations, whether overage or clawback provisions were considered, and which officers or committees approved any consent.
It also seeks to establish whether any financial benefit flowed to the council as freeholder from the transaction.
Separately, as a charity, Nene Park Trust is required under the Charities Act 2011 to obtain appropriate professional advice and to demonstrate that land disposals are in the charity’s best interests.
NPT’s annual accounts for 2018/19 show that a premium of around £205,000 arising from the Woodlands lease was a significant factor in the trust achieving financial break-even that year.
Historical records indicate that the Woodlands site was leased rather than sold outright to Pearl Assurance in the 1980s to prevent private capture of development value and to protect the long-term public benefit of Nene Park.
That background has added to interest in how later decisions were taken once the Woodlands facility became surplus to requirements and redevelopment was contemplated.
CambsNews says it is seeking clarity on governance and process, not making findings.
It argues that key documents — including any council consent deeds, valuation reports, and committee records — would help explain how the transaction was assessed, what safeguards were considered, and how the public interest was protected.
The council acknowledged receipt of the FOI request and, on 26 November, issued a holding response explaining why it had exceeded the statutory 20 working day deadline.
In its reply, the council said it was still considering the request and that while the Freedom of Information Act carries a presumption in favour of disclosure, certain exemptions may apply.
Specifically, the council stated that the information was being considered under Section 42 of the Act, a qualified exemption relating to Legal Professional Privilege (LPP).
Because qualified exemptions require a public interest test, the council said it was entitled under Section 10(3) of the Act to extend the response period beyond 20 working days. It said it now aimed to respond by 29 December 2025 and apologised for the delay, adding that the request was still being processed “as a matter of urgency”. As of today, CambsNews has not received further information.
Picture by Terry Harris.
Reliance on Section 42 ought not prevent disclosure but requires a balancing exercise between maintaining legal confidentiality and the public interest in openness. Until that process is completed, the underlying documents remain unseen.
Following the council’s holding response, CambsNews plans further questions based on documents already in its possession.
One document refers to a consultation exercise undertaken under Regulation 14 of the Neighbourhood Planning Regulations 2012, which lists Peterborough City Council as landowner among those consulted, alongside Country Court Care, Starleen Investments Ltd, Nene Park Trust, and several statutory bodies.
Another document sets out land ownership details obtained from the Land Registry, confirming the council as freeholder, the 999-year lease to NPT from 1988, the 970-year lease to Starleen in 2017 for £365,000 plus VAT, and the subsequent 969-year lease to Country Court Care for £2.1 million.
Based on that information, CambsNews is seeking clarification on whether the council received any payments connected to the transaction and on the circumstances surrounding the handover of the Woodlands site back to Nene Park Trust after Pearl Assurance ceased using it.
The council has yet to provide answers to those follow-up questions. CambsNews says it will update readers when a full response is received or if further information becomes available.
