The two year transformation of Valley Gardens is now complete, the council has announced.
The rerouting of traffic from St Peter’s Church to the Royal Pavilion started in the summer of 2018, and continued through the lockdown.
Although the original vision to create a new park in the valley has not quite come to pass, two new public squares have been created, and more space given to landscaping and footpaths.
Plans to extend the scheme down to the seafront, known as phase three, are due to be finalised this year, with work starting next year.
Chair of the Valley Gardens Working Group, councillor Steve Davis said: “It’s great to see the first two phases of this project complete and people already enjoying the new look open spaces.
“I’d like to thank everyone who has played a part in turning the vision into reality and look forward to the final part of this wonderful open space coming to fruition.
“We’ve already had a lot of positive feedback about the area and it’s a place I am sure residents will enjoy for years to come. Valley Gardens is an important gateway to the city and one of the first areas people see when they arrive
“The new cycle lanes and improved transport access will mean easier, safer and sustainable travel at the heart of our city and be a relaxing destination.”
The project has cost approximately £11 million. £8 million was made available for these two phases by the government through the Coast to Capital Local Enterprise Partnership. The remaining funding came from developer contributions and the council’s own Local Transport Plan budget.
Jonathan Sharrock, Chief Executive at Coast to Capital said: “Our vision at Coast to Capital is to build our economy back stronger, smarter and greener, Valley Gardens 1 & 2 is a fantastic example of how our towns and cities can be enhanced with sustainability in mind.
“I look forward to seeing developments with the next steps of the project.”
At last! It looks great but we would’ve had it years ago if scaremongerers hadn’t delayed progress. Now they’re at it again, jeopardising a scheme to make journeys safer for the most vulnerable road users. There are more pedestrians and cyclists at this time so they need more space. I hope councillors stop prevaricating about asking for the money Government is offering, then implement the pavement & cycle lane plans and, soon enough, make changes to those improvements when they’re needed. Otherwise, like with Valley Gardens, the city will have to wait years.
I wonder how many City Council decision makers are actually working at the moment.The debacle that was forced through recently between The Palace Pier and West St that had to be removed and led to Cllr West ‘stepping down because of outside pressures’ is a prime example of the way things will continue unless there is a major shakeup in the Transport Planning Department and plenty of places elsewhere within the City Council.
Now if they would just pedestrianise Trafalgar Street they could create a really lovely gateway into the city from the train station instead of that rancid Queen’s Road