Work to begin on Marble Street revamp

A MAJOR revamp of the first of five streets in Leicester’s historic Old Town will begin later this month.

Work to reconstruct Marble Street will get underway from Monday, June 13. High quality porphyry stone will be used to reconstruct the carriageway and footpaths to create a safer and more attractive route for pedestrians. The £245,000 Marble Street scheme is the first phase of a wider project which will see improvements made to four more streets in the Greyfriars conservation area over the next two years.

The proposed improvements would complement and extend schemes recently completed on Applegate, Peacock Lane and around Hotel Street. New Street and Wycliffe Street would also be re-laid in porphyry stone. Friars Lane and Millstone Lane would be reconstructed with high-quality block paving and carriageways resurfaced in asphalt. Footpaths would be widened and new trees planted to create a more attractive route through this historic part of the city centre. Final plans for the remaining four streets have yet to be agreed. If given the go-ahead, work would commence in 2017.

The city council is also supporting improvements in the Greyfriars conservation area through the Townscape Heritage Initiative. Backed by £1.1milllion from the Heritage Lottery Fund, the five-year programme is focussed on improving buildings and public spaces in the area. Property owners can apply for money to repair buildings, restore architectural features such as original windows, fencing and decorative masonry, or to bring empty space back into use.

City Mayor Peter Soulsby said: “It is vital that we continue to celebrate Leicester’s rich heritage and realise the huge potential of areas like the city’s Old Town. The Townscape Heritage Initiative is already having a dramatic impact on buildings in this area. We want to complement that with a programme of street improvements and create a really attractive environment for visitors and pedestrians.”

During the Marble Street works, the road will be closed to all traffic, with diversions in place via Rupert Street and Millstone Lane. Parking, waiting and loading restrictions will also be in place on Chancery Street during the works. Work is expected to take around six months.