Town road shut until November as part of project

A ROAD in the centre of Loughborough is to close for two months as a major improvement scheme progresses.

The £2.6 million Bedford Square Gateway Project is being carried out by Charnwood Borough Council in a bid to make the town centre more attractive to visitors, increase customer numbers and support businesses.

Work started in February, with paving already installed in Devonshire Lane, while improvements to Bedford Square North car park are almost complete.

Pavements are being widened to make the area more accessible for shoppers, with furnishings being added to make it more attractive.

Ward’s End and Devonshire Square closed to traffic on Monday and will reopen just before Loughborough Fair, which is due to take place from November 10.

The closure is needed while paving is installed in Ward’s End.

The road is too narrow in places to allow the paving work to be carried out safely and for traffic to continue passing through.

Access to Granby Street car park will be via Granby Street, which will be made two-way temporarily.

Pedestrian access to shops, businesses and homes in the area will remain at all times.

To support traders during the disruption, the council has introduced free parking for up to an hour, in the evenings and on Sundays at Beehive Lane car park.

This will continue and since its introduction in May, 21,000 free tickets have been issued.

However, one shop owner in Ward’s End previously warned that he may have to close down as trade has slumped since the works began.

Robin Derrick, who runs vintage shops Crazy Daisys and Ab Fab, said: “People aren’t coming down because of the noise and the mess.

“You have heavy machinery coming down the street. It’s not a welcoming place.”

A council spokesman said: “Similar schemes in other towns have shown to increase footfall. However, carrying out a project of this size means there will be inevitably be some disruption and we apologise for this inconvenience.”