One person said the expansion ‘should not be a replacement for a city centre’
A Cambridgeshire M&S store has been given the go-ahead to expand. Peterborough ’s biggest M&S store in the Brotherhood Retail Park has been given permission by Peterborough City Council to extend its store.
The extension will be located on vacant land between the M&S shop and Tapi Carpets. It will extend the shop by a total floor area of 1,676 sqm and be set over two floors.
The applicant said the extension is for a “main town centre use”. No extra parking is proposed with the plans as there is already parking available in the retail park.
Despite approval, the plans did receive two objections. A member of the public who lives in Melford Close said the shop “should not be allowed” to extend as the shop “should be in the city centre to serve the whole population”.
Peterborough’s former M&S store, situated in the Queensgate shopping centre, closed in 2024. The objector added: “M&S should be encouraged to return to [the] city centre. City could should refuse to promote regeneration of the city centre.”
This person also shared concern over the impact on the car park and traffic to enter the car park. They added: “The car park at Brotherhoods is always full at peak times [and] exit to Lincoln Road is a nightmare with long queues trying to join the carriageway.”
Blackwell Consulting, based in Peterborough’s city centre, also opposed the plans. A spokesperson for the business said: “Expanding an out of town location cannot and should not be a replacement for a city centre, or sequential test approved site.
“There are not benefits associated with the proposed application that would outweigh the harm caused by allowing the development to take place. The proposal does not enhance the city centre, quite the opposite, it serves to weaken it further.”
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