Multi-million pound venture for third phase of Peterborough's university faces new challenge

University officials are hoping that multi-million pound plans to create a publicly accessible Living Lab on the Peterborough campus will secure the green light from councillors.

Plans for the public science centre at ARU Peterborough have just been submitted to Peterborough City Council for approval after the proposals underwent a two week public consultation.

The application is for the third phase of the ARU Peterborough university campus on the north of the Embankment site, off Bishop’s Road, and will also include additional teaching space aimed at students studying mainly science, technology, engineering and maths courses.

The application is likely to be considered in the next few months and the development, if it secures approval from council planners, should be completed in 2024.

Officials say the Living Lab will offer an open, interactive science centre and education space to creatively engage people in science and technology.

It will be open to the community, as part of a pedestrian friendly campus, and can play host of a range of potential events, exhibitions, immersive displays, talks, forums and evening classes.

It is hoped the Living Lab will add a new cultural attraction to the city as part of a University Quarter which is publicly accessible.

It will sit on the site of the Regional Pool car park and next to first teaching building, University House, which opened to students this month. The second building on the developing campus, the Innovation and Research Centre, is under construction and should be completed later this year.

Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, Dr Nik Johnson, said: “With the university now open, the momentum in building a fantastic campus for the city does not stop.

"As well as this new extra teaching space, this Living Lab will be a fantastic attraction for the whole city, hosting a whole range of potential events, and further enabling the whole community to engage and be inspired by ARU Peterborough.”

Professor Ross Renton, principal of ARU Peterborough, which is a partnership between the Combined Authority, Peterborough City Council and Anglia Ruskin University, said: “These are exciting and innovative plans that support the development of a vibrant campus for the city.

"Our local community is at the heart of what we do.

"We already have developed an open campus, open to everyone to come and explore.

He added: “Phase 3 of ARU Peterborough will develop this ethos even further with the Living Lab, which will be a hub for people from across the local region, and beyond, to engage with cutting-edge science and engineering, whether through talks, classes or exciting hands-on exhibitions.”

Funding is in place for the Living Lab and second teaching building, including through £20 million from the Government’s Levelling Up Fund.

The university’s curriculum has been co-created with local employers, to help deliver courses and skills needed in the local economy. The university has linked up with about 170 companies to put together the curriculum.