Work begins to revamp Leicester shopping street

A busy shopping street and gateway between Leicester city centre and the railway station is set for a revamp, with work beginning to pedestrianize and improve the area.

The Council hopes the works will create a more welcoming gateway into the city centre and help make the busy route safer and more attractive for pedestrians and cyclists.

The pedestrianised area will be reconstructed to create a level surface, finished in red asphalt and a continuation of the existing high-quality block paving. Automated bollards will be installed at the entry and exit points and changes will be made to the existing contraflow cycle lane between Dover Street and the inner ring road to improve the route for cyclists.

Deputy City Mayor Cllr Adam Clarke, who leads on environment and transportation, said: ‘This part of Granby Street is a major gateway into the city centre for people arriving in Leicester by train and is a busy shopping street in its own right. It links directly to the super crossing on St George’s Way and is an important route for anyone walking or cycling into the city centre.

‘These improvements will make the route more welcoming and safer for pedestrians and cyclists, while having minimal impact on motorists. It’s over a decade since the underpass that ran beneath the ring road was removed and now is a good time to revisit the area and improve it further.’

Improvements are also planned for Northampton Street, where the existing footpaths will be widened and two new loading bays created.

New tree planting and cycle parking are also planned, and the installation of a new docking station as part of the city’s Santander Cycles Leicester e-bike hire scheme.

Work started from 10 January and will take around seven months to complete.

The scheme will cost around £900,000 and will be supported through the Getting Building Fund, a pot of government funding awarded to the Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership (LLEP) for shovel-ready infrastructure projects to create jobs and support economic recovery.

In related news, funding for shopfront improvements on Glasgow’s High Street and Saltmarket is available from Glasgow City Council’s Independent Retail Fund (IRF).

Photo by Jamie Hunt