Letting Agents Peterborough

Peterborough sits on the River Nene in Cambridgeshire, approximately 75 miles north of London. It’s a city that doesn’t fit neatly into easy descriptions. The cathedral, whose Early English Gothic west front is among the finest in Europe, anchors the historic city centre, while the surrounding streets reflect the rapid expansion that followed the city’s designation as a new town in 1967.

That designation brought planned townships such as Bretton, Orton, and Werrington, each built to house a growing population drawn by the promise of employment and affordable housing.

The city’s growth has not slowed. Between the 2011 and 2021 censuses, Peterborough’s population rose by 17.4%, reaching around 215,700, one of the fastest rates of increase in the East of England. By 2026 the city ranked fifth among UK cities for population growth over the decade to 2024, and third for jobs growth at 23.9% over the same period.

These statistics inevitably translate into strong and consistent demand for both owner-occupier housing and rental property.

Peterborough and its immediate surroundings hold some significant historical and cultural destinations, from prehistoric ruins to a living heritage railway.

• Peterborough Cathedral: The cathedral’s Early English Gothic west front is widely regarded as one of the finest in Europe. Founded as a monastery in AD 656, the current building dates largely from the 12th and 13th centuries. Catherine of Aragon and Mary Queen of Scots were both buried here, giving the cathedral an outsized place in English royal history. Admission is free.
• Flag Fen Archaeology Park: One of the most significant Bronze Age sites in Europe, Flag Fen preserves a 3,500-year-old timber causeway built across the fenland, along with reconstructed roundhouses and artefacts from the Must Farm excavations. Open seasonally, with guided tours and school visits available year-round.
• Ferry Meadows, Nene Park: Around three miles west of the city centre, Ferry Meadows sits within the larger Nene Park and covers 1,700 acres of lakes, meadows, and woodland. It’s used for sailing, windsurfing, kayaking, cycling, and walking. The location supports strong rental demand from families and outdoor-oriented tenants.
• Sacrewell Farm: A few miles west of the city near Wansford, Sacrewell is a working farm with an 18th-century working watermill, animal encounters, and indoor and outdoor activity areas. Well used by families and within easy reach of the outer suburbs.

Peterborough has a broad school offer across its townships and suburbs, ranging from large all-through academies in the city centre to smaller village colleges on its outskirts. The catchment area a rental property falls within can be a meaningful factor in tenant demand, particularly for families with children approaching secondary school age.

• The King’s (The Cathedral) School (Park Road, Peterborough, PE1 2UE. Ages 7-18, mixed.) Rated Outstanding by Ofsted in July 2024 across all areas, including quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and sixth form provision. A Church of England academy with around 1,260 pupils, The King’s School has a strong record of academic performance and ranked first among Peterborough secondary schools for A-Level results in 2025 with an average grade of B. The school has been consistently oversubscribed for at least 20 years, making it one of the most sought-after secondaries in the city. Its location near the cathedral quarter makes surrounding rental streets particularly popular with families.
• Arthur Mellows Village College (Helpston Road, Glinton, Peterborough, PE6 7JX. Ages 11-18, mixed.) Rated Outstanding by Ofsted at its most recent inspection in May 2025 and consistently oversubscribed, Arthur Mellows is a non-selective academy with a specialism in technology and approximately 1,650 pupils. Located in the village of Glinton to the north of the city, it draws pupils from across the wider Peterborough area. The college’s leadership has been described by Ofsted as uncompromising in maintaining standards, and its pastoral record is strong.
• Thomas Deacon Academy (Queen’s Gardens, Peterborough, PE1 2UW. Ages 7-19, mixed.) Rated Good across all areas by Ofsted following an inspection in November 2024. One of the largest all-through schools in England at around 2,308 pupils, Thomas Deacon occupies a Norman Foster-designed building on a 43-acre campus in central Peterborough. The academy runs from Year 3 to Year 13 and is noted for its character-led curriculum and wide range of extracurricular activity, including the Duke of Edinburgh Award and Combined Cadet Force.

Peterborough’s transport connections are among its strongest selling points, and they’re a significant reason why the city continues to attract tenants from further afield.

• Car & Road: Peterborough is well served by road. The A1, which runs north to south through the area, gives direct access to London and the north of England. The A47 crosses east to west, linking the city towards Leicester and Birmingham to the west and Norwich to the east. The city also benefits from its own inner ring road and the A1139 Peterborough parkway system, which keeps traffic moving efficiently around the built-up areas. For drivers heading to London, the journey via the A1(M) typically takes around 80 to 90 minutes outside peak hours.
• Train: The train is where Peterborough’s connections really stand out. LNER operates frequent services on the East Coast Main Line, with direct trains to London King’s Cross taking from around 48 minutes on the fastest services, and an average journey of roughly 50 to 55 minutes. Services run approximately twice hourly throughout the day, with operators including LNER, Thameslink, Great Northern, CrossCountry, Grand Central, and East Midlands Railway also calling at the station. Trains also run north to Leeds, Edinburgh, and other major cities, making Peterborough a genuine property management base for those whose work takes them across the country.

Day-to-day life in Peterborough is easier and more varied than the city’s size might suggest. The combination of a proper city centre, flat terrain for cycling, and a scattering of distinct suburbs means that whether you’re near the cathedral or out in Bretton, most things you need are within a short distance.

• Shopping: The main shopping destination is Queensgate Shopping Centre, a large indoor mall in the city centre which underwent significant changes from 2024 onwards, including the opening of Frasers in December 2025 and the Odeon Luxe IMAX cinema. Bridge Street and Long Causeway form the main pedestrian retail streets running through the centre, lined with a mix of national chains and independent retailers. For out-of-town shopping, Peterborough One Retail Park on Boongate offers further options including a large garden centre and food outlets. Major supermarkets across the city include Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda, Aldi, and Lidl, with multiple branches serving the different townships and suburbs.
• Eating & Drinking: Cathedral Square and the surrounding streets, particularly Cowgate and Church Street, have seen a steady increase in restaurants and cafés in recent years. The square itself hosts a mix of well-known brands and independent eateries, with the streetscape shifting noticeably towards food and drink as retail has contracted. Charters, a converted Dutch barge moored on the River Nene, is one of the more unusual and long-standing pubs in the city.

Peterborough’s property market reflects the city’s position as one of England’s fastest-growing urban areas: a wide stock of period and post-war properties in the established inner suburbs, and a steady flow of new developments expanding the city’s outer edges.

• Architecture: The most sought-after period stock sits in the streets closest to the city centre and in the inner suburbs. Victorian and Edwardian terraces are concentrated in areas such as the Millfield and Fletton quarters, characterised by high ceilings, sash windows, and decorative brickwork. The 1930s brought a wave of semi-detached houses, particularly in Stanground and Longthorpe, with bay windows and larger gardens than the terraces they followed. Further out, the planned townships built from the 1970s onwards, including Bretton, Orton, and Werrington, offer a different proposition: generally larger plots, more open street plans, and a mix of semi-detached and detached properties from the post-war era. Find out more about property types in Peterborough and the best streets in Peterborough in our dedicated guides.
• Developments: The large-scale suburban expansion of Peterborough has continued through the 2020s. Hampton, to the south of the city, remains one of the larger ongoing residential developments in the region, with thousands of homes already completed and further phases progressing. Cardea and the planned Great Haddon development to the south-west represent further significant additions to the city’s housing stock. In 2024, planning permission was granted for 265 homes in Eye, and Guild House on Oundle Road received consent for conversion into 90 new flats. The direction of travel is outward growth accompanied by increased city-centre density, with the rental market benefiting from both.

Peterborough’s economy is built on a broad base. Logistics and distribution are the city’s most visible employment sectors, supported by the A1(M) corridor and the East Coast Main Line. Amazon has a major distribution and delivery operation in the city, and the wider network of warehousing and fulfilment centres across the Peterborough postcode area employs a significant number of people at all levels.

IKEA also has a longstanding customer distribution presence in the city. The NHS, through the North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust and Peterborough City Hospital, is one of the largest single employers. Retail, financial services, and public administration account for much of the remaining employment base.