The new Business Plan was approved at the Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority Board Meeting this week (30th January 2019). It sets out the 12 key projects that will be delivered or moved to the next decisive stage during the 2019/20 financial year, at the same time as celebrating important successes to date.
Mayor James Palmer said: “This Business Plan is an important milestone for the Combined Authority, setting out a clear, deliverable and funded set of priorities and schemes which will help meet the many ambitions we have for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.
“We have significant challenges around transport infrastructure, housing and skills, which need to be overcome if we are to ensure our economy continues to thrive into the future. The Combined Authority is already making significant headway. The Business Plan sets out the many schemes we have progressed and delivered since we were established.
“We also set out 12 key projects which will be our focus in 2019/20, as well as a selection of other schemes which will either be brought to delivery or to the next key phase.”
As part of the Business Plan, the following projects have been identified as the focus for the coming financial year. They include a range of transport, housing, education and Market Town related schemes:
- Cambridge Autonomous Metro (CAM)
- A10
- A47
- Huntingdon Third River Crossing
- Soham Station
- Cambridge South Station
- Alconbury Station
- Wisbech Rail
- King’s Dyke
- University of Peterborough
- Affordable Housing
- Market Town Masterplans
This is in addition to ongoing delivery programmes relating to the Adult Education Budget, Apprenticeships, the implementation of the Business Review, delivery of our Growth Hub, the development of Garden Village proposals, developing a Trade and Investment programme for the area, moving forward the Greater South East Energy Hub, delivering improved digital connectivity and supporting businesses to grow via the Business Board Growth Prospectus.
The team will also be producing or updating long-term strategies that will guide future delivery and priorities focusing on the Local Industrial Strategy, Strategic Spatial Framework, Skills Strategy, and Local Transport Plan. This is in addition to the Housing Strategy that was produced in 2018/19.
By setting out this clear programme of activity for 2019/20, the Combined Authority will help to ensure the thriving local economy continues to grow by tackling the challenges that threaten this growth.
The Business Plan also shares insights into the work already being delivered across the area over the last year. These include improvements to Bourges Boulevard in Peterborough, new affordable homes in Soham, a Masterplan for St Neots, road and station improvement works in Fenland, saving the vital X3 bus service, and the opening of the Ely Southern Bypass.
In summarising the importance of this Plan, Mayor Palmer concluded: “This Business Plan gives us a clear, budgeted pathway to deliver on our transformational agenda for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.”
You can read the full document here.