Peterborough is a fast-growing city with strong fundamentals but deep structural challenges. Commissioned by the Peterborough City Council, PRD undertook a strategic review of development opportunities across Peterborough to reposition the city as a more dynamic regional centre.

We built a comprehensive evidence base exploring market dynamics, spatial opportunity, and delivery barriers. While the city benefits from high connectivity, housing affordability, and significant development potential, it is marked by fragmented land ownership and viability challenges. Our analysis identified over 68 hectares of developable land with capacity for 4,350 homes and 26,000 sqm of commercial space.

In synthesising the ‘so what?’, we set out a clear strategic pathway for delivery: a city centre-wide supplementary planning document to provide planning clarity and design ambition; a recalibrated approach to site prioritisation; and a delivery strategy aligned with governance and infrastructure plans. We identified that the redevelopment of land at the train station and the Anglia Ruskin University expansion are prime catalysts for growth in the city.

The work provides a credible, market-facing framework for regeneration, giving the council and Homes England the tools to bring forward a new era of city centre growth, resilience and public value.