asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will now set a more precise target date for the winding up of the Peterborough Development Corporation.
On 4th February 1981 my right honourable friend the then Secretary of State for the Environment indicated that the target date for winding up Peterborough Development Corporation, together with certain other English new town development corporations, should be the late 1980s.The physical programme of infrastructure and related works required to achieve the expansion of Peterborough as a new town has now largely been completed and the development corporation can take pride in the high quality of the environment it has created in co-operation with private investors and the other public authorities concerned. Nevertheless, important tasks remain to be completed and there are two particular fields in which we consider it would be desirable for the development corporation, with its special powers and expertise, to concentrate its efforts for a further period.First, it should oversee the completion of the remaining major road projects needed to complete the Parkway system, and take forward proposals for redevelopment of the Rivergate inner area. Secondly, it should take advantage of the opportunities for further growth that exist by continuing to seek to attract employment investment and the continuation of private housing growth. In these ways the development corporation will be able to provide a solid basis for further growth based on private investment.I consider that in order to undertake these tasks the development corporation should continue in existence for about another two years and I have therefore decided to set 30th September 1988 as the target date for winding up Peterborough Development Corporation. The final decision and formal order will be made in the usual way after further consultations nearer that date.