Plans scrapped for new homes that would have ‘ripped the heart’ out of countryside

The development was also described as ‘overdevelopment’ and ‘damaging urban sprawl’

Residents of two villages in the Peterborough countryside were delighted after plans to build thousands of homes were scrapped.

As part of Peterborough City Council’s draft Local Plan, which will see around 20,000 homes built in Peterborough by 2044, there were 3,000 homes allocated for land north of Castor and Ailsworth. During the consultation stages, local residents and campaigners fought hard to protect the rural area from what they labelled as ‘overdevelopment’ and ‘damaging urban sprawl’.

Martin Chillcott, chair of campaign group Protect Rural Peterborough, was over the moon to discover that the latest version of the proposed Local Plan no longer featured these Castor and Ailsworth homes.

He said: “This outcome is a win-win for both the city centre and the John Clare countryside. Development here would have ripped the heart out of this nationally important landscape, whilst diverting much needed investment away from the city and wider urban area.

“By focusing on urban renewal over trashing this much loved countryside, the Local Plan will enable a properly planned approach to reviving our city centre, turn around a decade of decline and protect Peterborough’s space to breathe. This landscape is one of our finest, shared assets, and this vital step will help safeguard it for everyone.”

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Mr Chillcott praised the “openness” of the current Peterborough City Council administration with their response to the campaigners’ feedback regarding the proposals.

Leader of Peterborough City Council, Cllr Shabina Qayyum, said: “Since we started our initial work on the Local Plan in 2023 our focus has changed.

“After extensive listening to local residents, parish councils and holding of workshops, we have asked officers to work on focusing on the city centre, where we are looking to increase the number of homes to help revitalise what the heart of the city is, so we are no longer looking to include as many homes within our more rural areas.

“This is a hugely positive outcome for us, demonstrating that we are an administration that engages in decision-making processes in consensus with the populations we serve and takes our heritage and nature reserve sites into consideration.

“A very collaborative piece of work. It is also important to stress that reasonable development gives families the opportunity to work and live in rural areas as well. This final draft of the Local Plan has removed a number of previously proposed sites.

“However, it does include a requirement that the Ailsworth, Barnack and Castor Neighbourhood Plans identify sites to contribute towards meeting local needs.”

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority Mayor Paul Bristow also backed the campaign to remove the proposed homes from the Local Plan.

He said: “After speaking to campaigners, I made it clear to Homes England that I thought this was the wrong site and that this would be reflected in any spatial development strategy I put forward. But make no mistake, the fact that the John Clare countryside will remain the landscape that inspired that famous poet is down to the hard work of campaigners and residents. I was proud to back their campaign and be with them, and I always will.”

Peterborough City Council’s cabinet will be asked to approve the final draft of the Local Plan to enable a six-week consultation to take place in September and October 2026 before it is submitted to the government for approval.

The Local Plan is the key document which allows local authorities to guide development in their areas. It outlines what areas should and should not be developed and how land should be protected.

Any representations received during the final consultation stage will only be considered by an independent planning inspector, not Peterborough City Council. The council cannot amend this version of the plan before it is submitted.