Main gateway to city centre set for revamp

The main gateway between Leicester city centre and the railway station is set for a revamp, with work due to begin this week.Leicester City Council will begin work to pedestrianise and improve a stretch of Granby Street between its junctions with Northampton Street and the inner ring road at St George’s Way.The aim is to 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.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.An earlier proposal to close the Dover Street junction with Granby Street will be amended following feedback from consultation carried out in spring 2021.Work will take around seven months to complete.A partial road closure of Northampton Street, from Charles Street to Newport Place, will be required from Sunday 16 January for up to 11 weeks. Work will then move further along Northampton Street, from its junctions with Newport Place to Granby Street. Diversions will be in place. Work will move onto Granby Street from spring 2022.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.