Place, Community and Connection in the Fens

Fen Power is a research project exploring what people need to live in a good place – and how we might begin to reverse decades of managed decline in English regions. Focusing on the Fens –including Peterborough, Wisbech, Boston and surrounding rural areas – the project is rooted in deep listening and public engagement.

Drawing on over 125 interviews, community events, historical and policy research led by Dr Dan Taylor, Fen Power offers a new way forward for regional development: one grounded in the lived experience of local people,and structured around the interdependence of infrastructure, connection and identity.

At its heart, this is a project about trusting communities to lead. We call it Fen power.

Download the reports

We Are Here: The Case for Fen Power (PDF, 8mb)
A visually rich summary report designed for policymakers, citizerns and community groups. Think of it as a tour by car.

Fen Power: Community, Infrastucture and Renewal in the Fens (PDF, 9mb)
A full research report, including findings, methodology, analysis and case studies. Think of it as working route - slower. deeper and reflective.

* If you experience any accessibility issues with these documents, please contact Dan Taylor.

The reports set out three clear proposals:

1. Create a new kind of regional local authority for the Fens.
2. Commit to a national minimum infrastructure spend, including a National Infrastructure Bank.
3. Restore community democracy through monthly local assemblies and long-term funding for community-led development.

Watch the Film

Produced by Red 7 Productions and directed by Jay Gearing, this short documentary captures local voices, places and visions of change across the Fens.

Other Resources

Further resources from the project, including workshop outputs, demographic detail, and acknowledgements, are available through the links below:

Beyond Borders: Creative Workshops in Peterborough
Photo and poems from a community storytelling event as part of the Being Human Festival.

Who We Spoke To: Methodology and Demographics
A short overview of our approach, along with charts showing who took part in the project.

Acknowledgements
Recongition of the many individuals and organisations who shaped this work.

Contact

This research was funded and supported by The Open University’s Open Societal Challenges initiative. If you have any thoughts, questions or ideas about this work, please do get in touch with dan.taylor@open.ac.uk.