WORK to make Staple Hill High Street “greener and more attractive” for residents and visitors is under way.
Barriers put up in Fountain Square in October marked the start of the first phase of a makeover that will see more trees and plants, artworks and signs installed as part of the area’s ‘Place Shaping Plan’.
Under the scheme new lighting would be installed, murals created and crossings upgraded at three ‘gateway’ junctions, and a shelter built in Fountain Square to provide cover for seating or for performers at events.
The work has started as a row over the effect of parking charges on local businesses continues to rage at South Gloucestershire Council.
create a “vibrant, welcoming, and resilient high street” for Staple Hill last year, working with Staple Hill & Mangotsfield Parish Council and the area’s chamber of trade.
It held consultations for the ‘Place Shaping Plan’ for Staple Hill High Street, Broad Street and Fountain Square in November and December.
Plans were drawn up and have now been published, setting out a series of changes in the pipeline.
They include:
• More planting and seating in Fountain Square and building a “colourful shelter” over the podium with seating and a space for performers.
• High street gateways, with public art and new coloured, diagonal pedestrian crossings at the junctions with Acacia Road/Pendennis Road, Victoria Street/Soundwell Road and Park Road/Teewell Hill to “strengthen arrival points and celebrate key buildings”.
• Improved pedestrian routes from Page Road and the Pendennis Road estate, including better lighting and changes to road lanes.
• Replacing the current split-level pavements on Broad Street.
The proposals are a mixture of short, medium and long-term plans and only the first stage of work, which started in Fountain Square in October, has secured funding.
Paid for by £50,000 from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, a government regional growth scheme, it includes planting new drought-resistant, low-maintenance plants in shrub beds and new seating areas. Some of the old planters and seating will be relocated.
The council says both extra planting and improvements to the square were “identified as key priorities” by the public.
A council spokesperson said: “The Place Shaping Plan was developed following extensive community engagement and reflects the priorities and needs identified by local residents.
“Working with Staple Hill and Mangotsfield Parish Council, we used this feedback to create a vision for making the high street a more attractive and welcoming place to visit and spend time in.
“The plan will also help us seek funding for a range of other projects identified through the engagement process.
“However, funding for these projects has not yet been secured and they remain aspirational until funding is obtained.
“Some projects will also require further investigation to determine their feasibility and likely costs, so we are currently unable to provide overall cost estimates or delivery timescales.”
Announcing the first phase, council co-leader and Staple Hill & Mangotsfield ward councillor Ian Boulton said: “We know that the way people use high streets is changing as more people go online and people use out of town shopping centres, and we want to make Staple Hill as attractive to visit as possible.”
The Place Shaping Plan can be viewed online at tinyurl.com/bdd9fdjz.