Leominster town centre plans revised

Plans to pedestrianise a Herefordshire town’s high street and main square will have to wait, it has been confirmed.

Leominster is getting a £1.3 million grant, matched by £1.9 million from Herefordshire Council, to refresh Corn Square and the High Street, as well as Victoria Street and Corn Street which link the two.

Each roadway will now be resurfaced in “buff-coloured” asphalt, and will not be made level with adjacent pavements, which will be “will be widened and flattened where possible”, the town council has said.

For now, there will be no change to traffic access or parking arrangements – though there will still be consultation on pedestrianising Corn Square and part of the High Street “once the works are complete”, the town council added.

The pavements in Corn Square will be repaired with slabs taken from the other streets rather than remade with new stonework, “due to budget constraints”, while the retained parking area in the middle of the square will also be resurfaced “if budget allows”.

The square will benefit from new planting, seating and lighting, while raised crossing areas level with the pavement are planned at the High Street junctions with Victoria Street and Corn Street, to improve accessibility.

The town council intends that the work will start “in late spring” and continue through summer – nearly a later than originally announced.

While access on foot will not be affected, all roadways “will need to be closed to motor vehicle traffic for some time during the works”, the town council said.

The weekly Friday markets and monthly Saturday farmers’ markets in Corn Square will temporarily move to Etnam Street car park nearby.