Location of the new stadium in Peterborough arouses controversy among the local community. Although supporters of the currently planned destination seem to prevail, the deadlock is to be solved by an independent consultant team.

Although the planned location of the new Embankment Stadium seemed to be generally approved of, more and more voices of concern can be heard recently. They have materialised into an e-petition put forward to retain the Peterborough Embankment as a public parkland.

The authors claim that retention of the current character of the Embankment would slow down the process of turning Peterborough city center into a “concrete jungle”. They focus mostly on ecological aspects, including flood defence concerns and wildlife corridor demolition.

The opponents of the new Embankment Stadium are afraid that its presence - especially accompanied by the new university buildings - may contribute to the diminution of green areas in the urban space. However, according to their declarations, it’s not the idea of the new stadium itself that they are opposed to, it’s just the currently selected location that they’re against.

As a counterbalance, a group of supporters of the new ground started their own petition. According to them, Embankment Stadium should not only become a valuable element of the municipal architecture but - by design - is not going to have any detrimental effects on the surrounding environment.

Moreover, the advocates of the Embankment scenario underline the universal character of the new stadium. According to them, the new ground is going to be be beneficial not only to Peterborough United FC, but also to the wider community, by serving cultural and business purposes.

Just by counting the number of signatures under both petitions, the ecological wing has to accept the predominance of their opponents. Supporters of the new Embankment Stadium managed to get almost four times as many backers of their e-petition.

However, The Posh definitely need to be patient, as the plans for the new stadium are still pretty vague. In the beginning of August, an independent consultant team was appointed to lead the Embankment Masterplan process, trying to find a satisfactory solution that takes into consideration all the concerns. The final report is expected to be submitted in early 2022.

Even if the final conclusions are favorable to Peterborough United FC, it is far from feasible to meet the previously indicated deadlines. Initially, the club hinted at early 2023 as the date of completion of the new Embankment Stadium.