Peterborough could be getting a new reason to spend half a day at Ferry Meadows rather than simply turning up for a walk, a coffee and the trip home.

Nene Park Trust has submitted revised plans for a Lakeside Activity Centre at the old Lakeside car park.

The project has been reported as costing about £6m, but it is not yet a done deal.

Peterborough City Council is still considering the application, and the trust says it needs to secure the rest of the funding before work can begin.

So who is it for?

The first phase is designed to cover more than serious climbing. The plans include indoor bouldering and roped climbing, a children’s play area, a small gym, a café and accessible changing facilities.

The council describes the proposed climbing tower as 22 metres high and says the facility is intended to suit families as well as experienced users.

That makes this less of an Olympic-style climbing venue and more of an all-weather activity centre.

The revised design is smaller and lower than the scheme that received permission in 2021.

The trust says the new version has a footprint around 30% smaller.

The setting does some of the work for it.

Ferry Meadows already has the paths, open space and visitor infrastructure that bring people to Orton Waterville.

The project would use the existing Lakeside access and car park, with accessible and cycle parking included.

Phase-one infrastructure and the car park were completed in 2023, supported by £1.45m from the Towns Fund.

There is also already a mobile climbing offer at Nene Park, so this would not introduce the idea from scratch.

 The bigger change would be having a permanent indoor venue alongside the park’s outdoor attractions.

But a new building does not automatically create repeat visits.

 A family might be happy to try climbing once, then decide the price, booking process or journey makes it an occasional treat.

Someone visiting Peterborough for the day may still choose the city centre, the Cathedral or another attraction instead. 

And a facility at Ferry Meadows will not, by itself, solve every complaint about central Peterborough.

Nene Park Trust projects that the centre could increase visits by 10% and generate about £1m in annual turnover.

Those are forecasts, not results.

The real test will come later: can the centre bring in local families on ordinary weekdays, attract visitors from outside the city and give people a reason to return?

The trust’s latest timetable points to construction in early 2027 and a first-phase opening in early 2028, if planning permission and funding fall into place.

Until then, the shape of the project can still change.

For now, Peterborough has a proposal that could make a day at Ferry Meadows feel fuller especially for families looking for an indoor activity.

It still has to prove that climbing can become a regular part of the city’s leisure offer, rather than an impressive building people visit once.

Would a climbing wall make you spend more time in Peterborough?

Tell us what would make you book: the climbing, the children’s facilities, the café, or something else at Ferry Meadows.