A large section of Plymouth city centre will be fenced off to traffic as work continues on a £7m revamp of the shopping area.
The second phase of the Old Town Street and New George Street improvement scheme gets underway from Monday April 4, which means the precinct will close to traffic. There will be a barrier at the entrance to Old Town Street and special arrangements for deliveries are being made with businesses.
To keep the public safe and accommodate fast food collections as much as possible, there will be some parking for motorbikes and bicycles delivery riders in a designated parking area at the entrance to Old Town Street. They will have to walk from this location to collect their deliveries, however. Delivery car drivers will have to use car parks at Whimple Street or the Guildhall.
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Contractor Mildren Construction has written to all businesses in the area so they can organise delivery schedules. Access will be controlled by a manned gate at the top of Old Town Street, with deliveries allowed between 5pm and 7am.
The council has also contacted fast food businesses to warn that delivery drivers should not break parking restrictions, after this became an issue during - and after - lockdown.
Private car owners were also breaking the restrictions, the authority said, in a location that had always been for access only. Drivers were never allowed to stop in the precinct, even just to load or unload. Once complete the new scheme will be strictly for pedestrians and cyclists.
Two new taxi ranks were created ahead of the Old Town Street works: in Cornwall Street/ Eastlake Street to the north of Drake Circus; and in Wimple Street, south of St Andrew’s Cross.
Shops and businesses will operate as normal throughout the next phase of works and pedestrian access will be maintained while work is in progress.
The working areas will be fenced off to separate operations from the shopper’s corridors which will be retained on either side.
There will be extra signs to help people to navigate the area. As work progresses, crossing points will be designed across the works areas.
Steve Hughes, chief executive of Plymouth City Centre company, said: “Our shops are very much open for business and keen to see customers. Business is bouncing back and we’ve seen more and more people come into the city centre. It’s good to see and we would love to see more.”
Nick Kelly, leader of Plymouth City Council, said: “We are doing all we can to minimise disruption but this is where we are asking people to bear with us. Plymouth’s city centre is about to undergo some significant and exciting improvements to make it a better and more vibrant place to live, work or visit. The tired eighties landscaping will be replaced by a more environmentally friendly public realm that will include features designed to make the area look brighter and feel fresher including a new play area.”
Phase one on the revamp, in lower New George Street from Armada Way to the House of Fraser service yard, began in late 2021. The overall idea includes creating a better link between Drake Circus Shopping Centre and The Barcode leisure and cinema multiplex with features such as new islands of greenery, places to sit and rest, a small performance area, new tree planting and ornamental ‘rain garden’ planting with more sustainable urban drainage. The work has been funded through the Transforming Cities Fund to the tune of £6,529,468 as the scheme also has wide clear routes, better visibility and improved signage for cyclists. The Heart of the South West LEP also contributed £700,000.
