The proposals will create a year-round, all-weather indoor activity centre, which will include one of the country’s largest Clip ‘n Climb arenas suitable for all ages and an Olympic-standard climbing facility. The plans also include a natural-themed indoor toddler play area, an additional café and private hire spaces for community groups. 

The plans, designed by Glenn Howells Architects, have been developed to support Nene Park Trust’s 10-year strategy to become the region’s favourite park by creating improved leisure, recreation, cultural and environmental offers for the city all year round.

The centre is a key element of the charity’s 2050 vision and 10-year masterplan, which involved extensive consultation with the public about the future of Nene Park. In particular, these consultations identified a need for year-round indoor provision to make the park a more attractive prospect for families during the winter months.

This focus on indoor facilities will complement the many well established outdoor activities across the park. Lakeside Activity Centre will be located next to and share a site with the existing Nene Outdoors watersports and activity centre, creating a defined hub of sport, play, recreation and leisure in an easily accessible area, well away from the more sensitive nature-rich areas of the park.

The plans will also dramatically improve the biodiversity and natural habitats in that area of the park by substantially increasing the number of trees and canopy cover, as well as creating attractive landscaping and bird and pollinator friendly planting. The scheme has been developed from the outset to ensure net gain for biodiversity and identified additional opportunities for this throughout.

”As a charitable trust our aim is to support the health and wellbeing of the people of Peterborough through the provision of recreation and leisure activities. We do this against the backdrop of our beautiful park, which we develop and maintain as a place to reconnect with nature, a haven for wildlife, a venue for focusing on culture and heritage and a rich source of educational opportunity,” said Matthew Bradbury, Chief Executive of Nene Park Trust.

“Lakeside Activity Centre will draw together many of these threads into a contemporary new nature-friendly offer at a time, post-COVID, when health and wellbeing, leisure, sport, and play will be so important, especially to families and young people.”