Spades in the ground quickly and completion by Christmas has been assured for a multi-million pound upgrade to Lincoln Road, Peterborough. News of the successful completion funding the works was given to the Cabinet of Peterborough City Council.
When it met on February 11, Cabinet was staring at a report which had predicted a shortfall in the amount needed to carry out the scheme which officers said was “in its final costing phase with full construction costs expected to be in the region of £3,300,000 to £3,500,000”.
However, it came with a caveat that suggested a possible shortfall in funding of up to £642,000 although Cabinet was advised “this figure is considered to be a worst-case scenario. All potential sources of additional funding are being explored, including re-allocation within the existing total Towns Fund grant or capital programme”.
Adrian Chapman, executive director of Place and Economy, assured Cabinet that since the papers for the report had been published, the money to plug the gap had been secured.
“For the avoidance of doubt for anybody watching (the debate can be viewed on YouTube) since this report was published the Towns Fund board have met and have approved a further grant allocation from the towns fund pot which all but closes the funding shortfall,” he said.
And this sum “essentially guarantees delivery of the full project; delivery starts in the spring, and it will be concluded before Christmas.
“It’s a very much an in-year very live piece of work”.
Mr Chapman said the vast majority of the funding – nearly £3m – had been made available through the Towns Fund programme “and we’ve added a small amount from our UK shared Prosperity fund and then a small amount from section 106 and Community infrastructure Levy funding.
“So, it’s a package of funding which combined will guarantee delivery over the summer period”.
The contract has been awarded to Milestone Infrastructure Services Limited using the highways term service contract the company has been with the council.
Cabinet was told: “There is a notable time/delivery risk for this scheme surrounding land ownership and the need for the council to work on private property.
“Licenses to carry out works on private property have been granted but will expire in December 2025. Therefore, construction needs to begin as soon as possible in order to prioritise these activities.”
Approval was needed now, Cabinet was told, to ensure the council is able to “maximise delivery time. Delivering the works via the Peterborough Highways Services contract offers significant savings in both time and money, further explained in section
“Furthermore, Milestone Infrastructure Services have a proven track record delivering major schemes within the city and have built excellent working relationships with both city council officers and local stakeholders. The combination of experience and collaboration facilitates an effective and efficient working environment conducive to successful project delivery”.
Improvements include footway surfaces, widening footways, upgrading pedestrian crossing and re distributing traffic. The expectation is that these measures will increase footfall to local businesses.
The report warned: “Failure to deliver the project will result in the deterioration of the highway network and could ultimately lead to the closure of roads thus increasing congestion, increasing emissions from lengthened journeys and reducing air quality within the authority area.”
Lincoln Road was described as a bustling local hub for communities on both the north and south.
Its many small businesses “support both the local communities and residents visiting from other areas of the city as well as residential buildings.
“However, the area is in need of investment, with frequent conflict between pedestrians and vehicles. The project has identified several measures to reinvigorate the area that will improve the experience for both service providers and users of Lincoln Road.
“The project will make the area more desirable to visit for those outside of the immediate local community, will create an area that locals are proud of and keen to look after, and improve the footfall for business owners”.
Councillor Angus Ellis, Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport, said: “Lincoln Road is a bustling hub for a wide range of communities in the north of our city. It’s a busy place with lots of shops, businesses, and people, and we know traffic and car parking are a challenge.
“This project aims to improve this and refresh the area to provide a better experience for people living, working, and visiting the Lincoln Road area.”
“We’d like to get spades in the ground as soon as possible.”
Lincoln Road is one of eight projects to receive funding from the city’s £22.9 million Government Towns Fund programme.
Mr Chapman added that the improvements to Lincoln Road “need to be seen as catalysts for change for more ambitious change.
“This will deliver quite a significant improvement to a small stretch of Lincoln Road, but I think it will then shine a light on the potential for the rest of Lincoln Road.
“Most of us know that Lincoln Road has vast potential and is already a place you can go and enjoy some leisure time, and I think this will be the precursor to something much more exciting.
“Let’s also not forget and we haven’t talked about this for a little while that there is still a plan to relocate the bus depot from Lincoln Road that’s very much a live piece of work.
“We’re working closely with the Combined Authority on that programme, and I think one would expect that to be the second phase of change for Lincoln Road.”
