Clitheroe Town Centre Open for Business During Major Works
Shops and businesses in Clitheroe town centre will be open as usual during the £600,000 revamp of Castle Street.
Work focusing on improvements to Castlegate, including the creation of a loading bay, has already started.
And from Monday, 29 April, Castle Street will be closed to vehicles until the scheme is finished at the end of July in time for the Clitheroe Food Festival on Saturday, 10 August.
But pedestrian access will maintained at all times and there will be access periods for shop deliveries.
The scheme is a collaboration between Lancashire County Council and Ribble Valley Borough Council aimed at making Castle Street more accessible and attractive.
It features the widening of pavements, new paving and street furniture, along with some changes to parking.
The scheme has been warmly welcomed by residents and businesses following a public drop-in session, where people were able to see the plans and chat to the project team.
Ribble Valley Borough Council leader Stephen Atkinson said: “People have told us for many years that they want to see these town centre improvements and we are delighted that this scheme is finally going ahead.
“We have received largely positive feedback about it following the drop-in session and there is a clearly a public wish for this work to be done.
“There will be some disruption while we carry out these improvements, which we acknowledge may cause inconvenience to businesses and customers, but we will do our best to keep this to a minimum, while maintaining full access to businesses.
“We apologise for any inconvenience and would like to thank everyone for their patience.”
County Councillor Rupert Swarbrick, cabinet member for highways and transport, added: “I am looking forward as much as anyone to seeing the difference these improvements will make to how the town centre will look and feel.
“Some level of disruption is inevitable during this type of work, but we will be doing all we can to keep it to a minimum and ensure Clitheroe remains open for business.
“I would ask everyone to continue visiting the town centre and support their local shops over the coming weeks.”
Further details about the scheme and alternative car parks near Clitheroe town centre are available at ribblevalley.gov.uk.