Traffic worries put residents on collision course with East of England Showground developer

Residents are calling for changes to multi-million pound plans for a leisure village and homes on the East of England Showground.

The demands from residents in the Ortons have been made as the Showground operator Asset Earning Power Group conducts a three week public consultation to gauge local reaction to its proposals for the 165 acre site.

Central features of the proposals are a £50 million leisure village are a golf driving range, a health and fitness centre, hotel, adventure golf, sports pitches, family entertainment centre plus office space, dining and coffee shops and enhanced Arena plus a new school and residential care facilities for the elderly.

It is also envisaged to build about 1,500 homes.

Following the public consultation, AEPG intends to submit a planning application to Peterborough City Council.

But residents say a major concern is the lack of exits and entrances to the new development and that it will just push extra traffic on to already busy roads.

Christine Reed, secretary of the Orton Southgate Residents’ Association, said: “They expect the development to generate 3,000 extra vehicles but they are not planning to put in any extra roads.

"The only exits and entrances will be at Orton Southgate – and that will require a token to be used for access to the leisure village – and at Orton Northgate.

"Yet we already experience bottlenecks at both ends of the area every day with traffic caused by people going to work and school.

"We would like AEPG to factor in more entrances and exits.”

Other worries include the provision of a school and medical facilities.

Christine added: “We also have concerns about how this development will be funded.

"The fear is that we’ll end up with houses and no leisure village but the development is being promoted as one that will bring prosperity to Peterborough.”

Ashley Butterfield, chief executive of AEPG, has previously said: “This development represents what we hope will be regarded as a new Gateway to Peterborough, but it is important to us that the community shapes its direction.”

Anyone who would like to comment on the proposals should visit AEPG’s website here.