Five stories you might have missed in Peterborough

A new mural painted in support of the Green Backyard charity has been called a "powerful image"

A £65m project to regenerate the area around the city centre's railway station has been approved by the government, while a group of visually impaired rowers said a piece of simple technology was empowering more people to take up the sport.

Here are five stories from Peterborough you might have missed this week.

City station regeneration

Plans have been drawn up to improve routes for pedestrians and cyclists to and from the station

A £65m project to regenerate the area around the city centre's railway station has been approved by the government.

A full business case for a new station quarter in Peterborough was submitted to the Labour government in March.

The approval has unlocked nearly £48m in government funding towards the plans, which included a new western station entrance, pedestrianised square and multi-storey car park.

Sight impaired rowers empowered by headset

Kate Lindgren was the first blind rower to join the club

A group of visually impaired rowers said a piece of simple technology was empowering more people to take up the sport.

The Bluetooth headset meant members of the Peterborough City Rowing Club could communicate with their coach across the water.

Rowers who are blind or have a visual impairment can go out on their own in a single boat. The tech was described as "life-changing".

New festival cancelled over poor ticket sales

Hoosiers were due to perform at the festival

A summer music festival has been cancelled due to poor advance ticket sales.

On the Green Fest was meant to debut in Peterborough, but organisers said they had made the decision to halt the event.

It was meant to feature 50 acts, including Hoosiers and Phats & Small.

In a post on its website, it said ticket holders would be refunded.

Charity blown away by support to keep green space

Trustee Lewis Vernum said "it's an important part of the community and needs to be preserved"

A charity fighting to save its open green space from being turned into a housing development said it had been "blown away" by the community's support.

The Green Backyard forms part of a plot on London Road, where Peterborough City Council suggested 48 homes could be built under its draft Local Plan.

More than 600 people attended a community day to campaign against the idea.

Plan to house long-term rough sleepers

Mohammed Saeed from the charity said "we have to be there" for the long-term homeless

A charity refurbishing a house for rough sleepers hoped it would be a "stepping stone" for people struggling with addiction.

Community First Peterborough, which began renting the three-bedroom terrace in Millfield earlier this year, aimed to be ready to welcome its first residents by mid-July.

The week in politics

Four schools in the city are set to expand to meet rising demand for pupil places.

Peterborough City Council agreed to fund the works, with some construction already under way.

The four schools are: Stanground Academy, Marshfields School and NeneGate School in the city, and the Duke of Bedford Primary School in Thorney.

Meanwhile, a £13.5m centre has opened to teach green skills and boost jobs.

The Centre for Green Technology at Peterborough College aimed to tackle a skills shortage and support sustainable economic growth.

The Centre for Green Technology opened in Peterborough

Hundreds of thousands of green jobs are needed to support the government's growth mission, said Baroness Taylor, a Labour peer who was at the launch.

Finally, Peterborough First city councillor John Fox said Werrington centre had been "left behind" compared to other sites in the area.

He opposed two recent proposals for the Werrington Centre, which were ultimately refused by planners in April and said he hoped the next applicant would meet with community representatives so they could "help to steer them in the right direction".