The council’s new Local Plan for Peterborough lays out where thousands of homes could be built and where jobs might be developed over the next two decades, with a housing target of more than 20,000 new homes and a planning horizon to 2043.
What the plan is and why it matters
At more than 200 pages, the Local Plan functions as a statutory blueprint for growth: it guides decisions on what is built, where development is directed and which areas are protected. The document covers the period to 2043 and replaces the version finalised in 2019, which ran to 2036. The council says the updated plan is necessary to reflect new pressures and opportunities affecting the city.
Because Local Plans determine future development rights, the choices set out in the document will shape housing supply, employment land, and public services across the city for years to come.
Major proposals and site allocations
Among the headline proposals in the plan are substantial new settlements and large employment sites. Notable items mentioned in the draft include:
- 20,000+ new homes targeted over the next two decades;
- a scheme for 5,000 new homes at Great Haddon (a site already featured in the current plan);
- 43 Gypsy and traveller pitches allocated across sites at Thornberry Lodge near Thorney and Royce Road;
- 115.5 hectares (285 acres) of employment land north of the old River Nene in Stanground;
- capacity identified for 1,500 homes on the East of England showground, a site where full developer approval has not previously been granted.
Also referenced in the plan is the growing presence of Anglia Ruskin University’s Peterborough campus, which opened after the 2019 plan and is set out in the document as having scope to expand.
Process and timetable
The council aims to submit the Local Plan to the government by the end of the year. The draft has already undergone changes over the past three years, with revisions said to reflect views and concerns raised by residents and stakeholders during consultations.
"The document is a blueprint for the future — setting out where thousands of homes could be built and jobs could be developed in the city," the report notes.
Sites and numbers at a glance
| Item | Reference in plan |
|---|---|
| Housing target | More than 20,000 homes (to 2043) |
| Great Haddon | 5,000 homes (included in current and new plan) |
| Gypsy and traveller provision | 43 pitches at Thornberry Lodge and Royce Road |
| Employment land | 115.5 hectares (285 acres) north of the old River Nene, Stanground |
| East of England showground | Capacity for 1,500 homes |
Questions residents will be watching
Because Local Plans influence where growth falls, residents will be interested in the balance struck between new housing and protections for open land, the location of major employment sites, and provisions for traveller pitches. The plan’s references to university expansion and large employment allocations indicate the council is seeking to link housing growth with jobs and education provision.
The council’s next step is formal submission to government, after which the plan will continue through examination and potential refinement. Until that process concludes, the document remains a draft but one that already steers planning decisions and public debate about the city’s future.
As the city navigates growth pressures, the Local Plan will be central to decisions about how Peterborough’s urban and rural areas evolve together to 2043.
