Improvements in Preston city centre

Cannon Street in Preston will be getting a new look, in a bid to appeal more to shoppers and businesses.

The city centre street, which is part of the Winckley Square Conservation Area, is getting a makeover with natural stone.

Funding for the work has been brought together by Lancashire County Council with contributions from City Deal, Preston City Council and the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) – as a part of the Winckley Square Townscape Heritage Initiative.

Due to the narrow width of Cannon Street, the pavements and road will be replaced with a single surface, providing more space for pedestrians, making it easier for people especially those with wheelchairs and pushchairs, and encouraging motorists to slow down and give way along the road.

Cannon Street is one way from Cross Street to Fishergate and 'access-only' for motor vehicles, including motorbikes – with very low traffic levels on the road.

As with the previous refurbishment of Fishergate and the more recent £1m improvements to Winckley Square gardens, it is anticipated that the new natural stone on Cannon Street will increase footfall, attract new customers and emphasise the area's heritage.

Work is expected to take around 10 weeks, starting week beginning 16 February, with the road closed to vehicles during this time. The contractors have already been in contact with businesses about deliveries during the work.

County Councillor John Fillis, Cabinet member for highways and transport, said: "Once completed, it’s hoped that these improvements will provide a major boost for shops and businesses based on Cannon Street. The refurbishment of Fishergate has attracted new businesses and resulted in higher footfall, so we're aiming for a similar economic boost.

"We apologise in advance for any inconvenience caused while this work is carried out."

Councillor Swindells, Deputy Leader of Preston City Council said, “This is another fantastic element of the city centre regeneration and we are pleased to be working alongside Lancashire County Council to achieve this through our City Deal partnership with them and South Ribble.”

As part of the project, grants are being provided to repair and reinstate shopfronts with original features. The HLF is encouraging proposals to recreate Georgian or Victorian shop frontages using traditional materials and colour schemes. The plans also aim to bring vacant space back into use.

Preston City Council are creating a design document, to provide guidelines on how to improve the look of shop frontages.

The work on Cannon Street is part of the £434m City Deal. This is an agreement between Lancashire Enterprise Partnership and Preston City Council, South Ribble Borough Council and Lancashire County Council, along with central government and the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA).

The City Deal contribution comes from a huge £434m pot which will help to create more than 20,000 new private sector jobs and see over 17,000 new homes built across Preston and South Ribble, as well as new school places, open green spaces and new health provision to cater for the growing population.

For more information visit www.lancashirelep.co.uk/city-deal. Find out more about City Deal projects by following @LancsCityDeal on twitter.