Huntingdonshire District Council has published the final designs for the St Neots Town Centre Improvements focused on the Market Square.
The improvements are part of the ambitious Market Towns Programme to support Huntingdonshire's town centres. The scheme has been jointly funded by the Cambridge & Peterborough Combined Authority, HDC, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities, National Highways and Cambridgeshire County Council.
The final detailed designs have been completed, with work undertaken to refine and improve previous proposals, factoring in feedback from residents and local stakeholders as part of both online and in-person engagement activities.
The final designs see the Market Square opened into an attractive and versatile public realm space. By relocating parking and introducing seating areas, facilities for the market and events in the town will be enhanced.
The first phase of the improvements will see the current trees replaced in Market Square. The replacement is due to faults in how the trees were originally planted, and removal of the current trees would have been required irrespective of the Town Centre Improvements. The trees will be replaced by semi-mature trees on both sides of the Market Square, in greater numbers than currently present.
The investment in St Neots High Street totals around £15 million and comes from a range of sources, including £3.7 million from the Department of Levelling Up, Housing & Communities' (DLUHC) Future High Streets Fund. St Neots is one of 72 towns across England to be awarded an FHSF grant.
Executive Councillor for Jobs, Economy and Housing, Cllr Sam Wakeford, said: "We are excited to publish the plans for the St Neots Market Square and Town Centre Improvements as we get closer to the works finally starting. Alongside the related projects we are progressing in St Neots, this should make a positive impact on the town centre, improving its look and feel to ignite civic pride and create a renewed sense of space."
Cllr Rob Simonis, Mayor of St Neots, said, "It's exciting to see the months of planning and consultation on this project start to come to life. The refurbished market square promises a fresh space where we can hold events and give people even more reasons to come to our town, in turn supporting our local traders. I look forward to the work starting in the Autumn and learning more about the timelines once a contractor is appointed."
The formal procurement process to appoint a contractor to undertake the scheme commenced in May 2023 and is due to conclude in September with works starting in late October. To find out more about this project, view Investment in St Neots.