High Street clearance to give designers blank canvas

Buy photos » Whar can be done to make Bromsgrove High Street better for shoppers. s

WORK on improving Bromsgrove High Street will get under way next month if the proposals are given the green light by planning chiefs a week on Monday (February 6).

The £2million Bromsgrove Regeneration Project, which is being funded by Bromsgrove District and Worcestershire County Councils, will see the High Street redesigned and access improved for shoppers.

Some trees between the Housman Statue and Poundland and between Worcester Road and George House will be removed as part of the development. Some of them are deteriorating, some obscure CCTV cameras and some cause accessiblility problems.

The exact design of the new-look High Street is still being finalised, but it is hoped all the trees which are removed will be replaced.

The aim is to improve the surface, provide extra space and lighting and give better access to shops.

The market layout and Christmas lights will also be improved.

Once the benches, trees and other items have been removed, designers will then have a ‘blank canvas’ on which to map out the new-look High Street. The public will be consulted on the designs from next month.

Bromsgrove District Council’s portfolio holder for the town centre, Coun Del Booth, said: “Residents will know by now we are going to give the High Street more than simply a better surface.

“The regeneration partnership is going to take this once-in-a-generation opportunity to rethink the layout of our public realm, remove decades of clutter, make the shops more accessible to everyone and further improve the markets.”

Coun Anthony Blagg, county councillor for Bromsgrove Central, said the regeneration would provide a much-needed boost for business owners and market traders.

“I am excited by the potential for this project and of the new designs for the High Street and, while it will be sad to see these existing trees removed, the new designs will include new trees which means the overall scheme will not only improve the economic prospects of the town, but also ensures that the long-term environmental benefits are felt too,” he added.

If given the go ahead, the work to clear the High Street will take place between February 7 and March 5.

It is anticipated the new High Street will be completed by 2013.