£5m will be invested in improving the public spaces in two Leicester neighbourhoods over the next three years.
Preparatory work is already underway on a £850,000 scheme in St Matthews to improve communal areas and boost safety on Ottawa Road.
Proposals are now being drawn up to extend similar improvements in other parts of St Matthews and St Peters, including improvements in areas such as open space, road safety and the environment.
The plans follow a commitment made by City Mayor Peter Soulsby in 2019 to invest in improving the two estates by taking into account local issues and helping to make public areas safer and more user-friendly.
Leicester Assistant City Mayor for Housing, Cllr Elly Cutkelvin, said: ‘This work represents a significant investment over the next few years to make real improvements in St Matthews and St Peters, to meet the needs for people living there and improve the areas for everyone who uses them.
‘It is vital that the whole communities are involved in this decision-making process, to ensure what we are doing addresses the issues which are important to them. We must also balance the needs for any parking and road improvements with our environmental commitments to create neighbourhoods where people feel safe to walk and cycle, and where they can access and enjoy open green spaces.
‘We are working with architects in order to bring forward initial designs for St Matthews and St Peters, so that we can progress with this work to benefit both neighbourhoods.’
The ongoing scheme in St Matthews involves removing old brick garages and bin stores and replacing them with new parking bays, street lighting and railing, as well as landscaping in communal areas to improve the overall appearance of the area.
The proposals for the rest of the improvements are still at an early concept stage, with consultation with residents expected to ensure the measures address local issues after preliminary designs are drawn up in the coming months.
In related news, more changes are on the way for Nottingham’s Waterside, with approval for a new pedestrian and cycle bridge over the River Trent and a blueprint for further enhancement of the area building on existing residential developments.
Photo supplied by Leicester City Council