22/10/2009 - Barrow revamp taking shape

Major improvements to Barrow town centre will take shape over the next few weeks as the Dalton Road enhancement scheme continues apace.

The multi-million pound revamp kicked off on September 21 and has so far mainly involved preparatory work and drainage improvements that are set to continue until the end of November.

This week, work to put in new sandstone pavements on Harley Street, Oldham Street, a short section of Scott Street (around 20m) and three small link footways off Dalton Road, got underway and will give people an idea of how the larger scheme will look when complete.

From Monday (October 26) work on the short section of Scott Street will continue and when this is complete a small area of Cavendish Street (approximately 30m) will also start to be transformed as new pavements are laid.

The main pavement work on Scott Street and Cavendish Street will be tackled after Christmas.

The new year will see the main section of the revamp come to fruition as street furniture including lights, granite bollards, benches and litter bins are installed, giving the area a more noticeable facelift. 

Councillor Tony Markley, Cumbria County Council’s cabinet member for highways and economic development, said: "The first month of this major regeneration scheme we’re carrying out has involved tackling the early stage preparatory works, but over the coming weeks the project will really start to take shape and people will get an idea of how much these changes will really make a difference to Barrow town centre." 

The £4.13million scheme, is being funded by the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) via Barrow Regeneration (formerly Barrow Vision) to the tune of around £3.7million, with Cumbria County Council and Barrow Borough Council also making contributions.

Sarah Briggs, Development Team Manager for Cumbria at the NWDA, said: "These are a major set of improvements for Barrow which will give the town centre a real lift.

When complete this work will make the area more attractive for local people, as well as visitors and potential investors, which will contribute to the future economic regeneration of Barrow and the region."

Work, which is divided into seven phases and is set to be completed by September 2010, will see Dalton Road, Portland Walk, Cavendish Street, Scott Street, Dalkeith Street and William Street all revamped.

ENDS

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