Highway Upgrades Progress to Support Major Peterborough Housing Expansion

Major A16/A47 highway works take place which includes dualling the A16 between the A47/A16 junction and a new A16 roundabout

Plans for major road improvements linked to a large housing development in Peterborough have moved forward, paving the way for thousands of new homes.

The Norwood Urban Extension, located near Newborough Road in Paston, is set to deliver around 2,000 homes along with a new primary school and community centre. Although outline planning permission has been granted for both phases of the scheme, only 200 homes can be occupied until significant upgrades to the A16 and A47 begin, due to concerns raised by National Highways. The agency warned that the development would otherwise place a “severe impact” on the strategic road network.

Key infrastructure proposals include widening a stretch of the A16 between its junction with the A47 and constructing a new roundabout on the A16. A new pedestrian and cycle bridge over the A47 is also planned, along with improvements to local access routes.

Peterborough City Council is seeking around £4.5m in contributions from developers to help fund the construction, including the new A16 roundabout and an access junction connecting Newborough Road directly to the route.

The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority (CPCA) has already supported earlier stages of the project, covering the £130,000 strategic outline case, a £630,000 outline business case and preliminary design package, and £1.2m for a provisional full business case and detailed design work.

A report going before the council’s cabinet on Tuesday recommends approving a funding agreement with the CPCA, which has now awarded an additional £727,000 towards progressing the scheme.

According to the cabinet report, while earlier business cases focused primarily on highway design, much of the new funding will help finalise “active travel” improvements such as walking and cycling routes. These enhancements are intended to reduce congestion and support the city’s carbon-reduction goals.

The report notes that the planned highway upgrades are essential to unlocking the full housing allocation and delivering the community facilities included in the development.

The cabinet is due to discuss the proposals at its meeting on Tuesday at 16:00 BST at Sand Martin House.