Plan for 20,000 homes to be re-examined

An already-approved document outlining where thousands of new homes could be built in a city will be re-examined after a councillor raised concerns.

Peterborough City Council's cabinet approved the final draft of its Local Plan on 25 August, but it will now be put before a scrutiny panel.

Kirsty Knight, a Conservative councillor, said the evidence used in a decision to remove a proposed industrial development on a nature spot in the Stanground area needed to be reviewed.

Numan Ali Iqbal, the Labour councillor overseeing growth and regeneration, said a committee would review the decision on 24 September.

"This committee may then make recommendations for consideration, including potentially asking cabinet to reconsider its decision," he said.

More from Peterborough:

• Police find food worth more than £5,000 in car boot
• Police officer's flying leap to tackle e-bike rider
• White-tailed eagle spotted soaring over city park

The Local Plan serves as a blueprint for where 20,000 new homes and 196 hectares (484 acres) of employment space could be built over the next 20 years.

The council wants to run a six-week consultation in September and October, before the plan is submitted to the government for final approval.

But Knight said she wanted a scrutiny committee to establish whether there was sufficient infrastructure to cater for 2,070 homes planned for the East of England Showground.

"We called in the Local Plan decision because the issues involved are too significant to pass without proper scrutiny," a Conservative group spokesperson told the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

"This is not about opposing development.

"It is about ensuring that decisions of this scale are transparent, evidence-led and properly scrutinised before they are allowed to shape Peterborough for years to come."

The Local Plan has gone through many changes in recent years following various consultations in order to get to this final stage.

The final proposal must be handed to the housing secretary by 31 December.

Do you have a story suggestion for Peterborough? Contact us below.

Follow Peterborough news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.