Living in Peterborough – Local Cambridgeshire Area Guide
Have you ever thought about living in Peterborough?
A cathedral city that sits just slightly north of the upmarket county of Cambridgeshire.
Peterborough is expanding rapidly as more and more people realise just what a great place it is to live.
As well as great connections to London, the city provides plenty of other benefits.
An affordable location, a great selection of family-oriented neighbourhoods and good schools all alongside more than adequate amenities.
Moving home is an extremely unsettling time for all the family, even your pets!
Preparing to sell, looking for a new home, packing, transporting your belongings and re-settling at a new location can take its toll.
This stress can be even worse if you are planning a move to a completely different village, town, or city.
If Peterborough sounds appealing to you but, it is a bit of an unknown you are in the right place.
Here we have prepared some helpful information about the city before you make the final decision to move.
Table of Contents
Property Market
If you are struggling to afford your own home, you might be pleasantly surprised at Peterborough’s affordability.
At the bottom end of the market for those buying for the first time, many homes sell for well under the national average.
As Peterborough is such a magnet for families, it is good to know that the housing stock is packed with properties with three bedrooms or more.
From brand-new developments to well-established older-style homes, you will find you get a lot for your money in Peterborough.
If you want to investigate property prices in the area visit one of the following local estate agent websites:
Best Schools
There is no doubt that those on the move with children will be wanting to find a home within the catchment area of a good school.
Very few schools in the city fall below Ofsted’s rating of good. The majority perform very well, with several primaries achieving the highest rating of “outstanding” such as:
Heritage Park Primary School, Hampton Hargate Primary School and The King’s (The Cathedral) School.
For secondary education, St John Fisher Catholic High School, Stanground Academy and Jack Hund School were all rated as being “good”.
Peterborough has one independent boarding school: The Peterborough School at Westwood House, founded in 1895.
The city also has several colleges and universities, including Peterborough Regional College and the University Centre Peterborough.
University Centre Peterborough is a small higher education institution with a campus in Peterborough. It offers older students a broad portfolio of courses covering a range of subjects.
Cost of Living
The cost of living is a very relevant topic currently.
Everyone has been hit by the massive increase in prices whether it is fuel, food, tax, or mortgage interest rate rises.
The cost of living in Peterborough is overall much more affordable than in London. However, there is no escaping the fact that our outgoings have increased substantially over the past two years, no matter where we live.
There are many ways we can address the situation and cut back.
It might surprise you how much you could save by making a few changes to the way you organise your finances.
For those who earn below a certain level, there are some helpful Government initiatives aimed at easing the financial burden.
To find out if you qualify, look at the government’s guidance on the cost-of-living payments for 2023-2024.
If you don’t qualify, there are still many ways you can tweak your outgoings and shave off those precious £’s.
Simply combining any outstanding credit card payments onto one 0% interest rate card could potentially save you a lot. To find the best deals go to MoneySuperMarket.
We are all guilty of not being proactive with our internet providers. We simply pay the direct debit each month without a thought.
Better to haggle with your current provider and tell them you are going to leave them. Very often they will agree to slash your direct debit to keep your business.
Martin Lewis has become a household name, a guru when it comes to saving money.
His knowledge of all things financial is legendary. Visit his website and you will find some great ideas to save yourself money in all kinds of ways. www.moneysavingexpert.com
With a bit of ingenuity and willpower, you will have your finances under control and back in the black in no time.
Transport
Peterborough is regarded as a well-connected location.
Many residents in the Peterborough area choose to live here solely because of its excellent links to London.
Peterborough railway station is a principal stop on the East Coast Main Line, a 45–50 minute journey time to central London, with high-speed intercity services from King’s Cross to Edinburgh Waverley operated by the London North Eastern Railway at around a 20-minute frequency.
Several bus operators supply routes within the city and to nearby towns and villages. One of the main providers is Stagecoach. www.stagecoachbus.com/timetables
The nearest airport is London Stansted, an hour’s drive from Peterborough.
The A1/A1(M) primary route (part of European route E15) broadly follows the path of the historic Great North Road from St Paul’s Cathedral in the heart of London, passing Peterborough (Junction 17), and continuing north a further 335 miles to central Edinburgh.
Employment
Peterborough has had its issues and challenges during and after the pandemic, just as all areas of the UK have.
However, today Peterborough’s fortune is on the up.
According to a BBC report, Peterborough is one of the UK’s fasted growing cities.
Major business sectors include advanced engineering and manufacturing, agri-tech, food, and drink, digital and creative, energy and environment and financial services
Being in prime commuter territory, working in the capital is so easy. Fast travel times make it ideal and not too much of a strain timewise.
Closer to home, there are employment opportunities everywhere in Peterborough if you know where to look.
The best way to find a new job is by preparing a good CV and uploading it to several online employment agencies.
According to Indeed, one of the most popular agencies, within a 10-mile radius of the city there are 2500 jobs being advertised currently.
Other sites you might want to explore are
Things to do
You will never have a problem finding something interesting to do when you live in Peterborough.
For family day’s out, hobbies and points of interest – Peterborough has it all.
Peterborough enjoys a wide range of events including the annual East of England Show, Peterborough Festival and CAMRA beer festival, which takes place on the river embankment in late August.
The city is generously surrounded by beautiful scenery, including numerous lakes, picturesque nature walks, expansive parks, restaurants and shops for the whole family to enjoy.
Popular attractions in or near Peterborough are:
- Peterborough Cathedral
- Nene Park
- Peterborough Museum
- Burghley House
- John Clare Cottage
- Queensgate Shopping Centre
- Crown Lakes Country Park
- Best indoor and outdoor play areas in Peterborough
Thinking of Living in Peterborough?
If reading about how much Peterborough has to offer has sparked an interest and you might consider moving here, you will need help.
Hiring a good, reliable, and well-priced removal company is imperative in making a move a successful one.
Whether you are currently living in London and want to get more property for your money, along with more space and in a safer location, or you are starting a family or even retiring, GoodMove can make it happen for you.
We cover all areas of Cambridgeshire and beyond.
Plus, we offer further security by being full members of BAR the British Association of Removers, a fact we are very proud of.
Let us help you to make your move as pleasant an experience as possible.
All you need to do is give us a call today and we can take you one step further to achieving your dream.
Alternatively, you can complete our online quote form or use our live bot found at the bottom right of our website, one of our friendly team members will give you a call asap.