Understandably, there’s some confusion about what is happening – or not – in Old Town Street and New George Street, so we thought we’d give an update.
We know some people believe that the bits of temporary tarmac are the finished job. We would just like to reassure you this is not the case.
We have some amazing plans and this photograph is a reminder of what’s to come.
It’s fair to say, we have hit problem after problem and digging beneath a city centre that was hastily rebuilt after the war has meant the project has stopped and started a number of times. Voids, Blitz rubble, filled-in cellars, the odd tram line, not to mention the maze of utility pipes and cables have slowed us down considerably.
Design changes are being finalised to respond to many of the unforeseen ground conditions and unexpected issues and we are pleased to say that contractors are back on site working on phase 2 (from Tesco to McDonalds) and phase 4 (New George Street). We will return to Phase 1 (outside House of Fraser) next week. We are tackling all three phases of work simultaneously.
In terms of progress so far, the excavations for drainage and rain gardens in front of the House of Fraser are complete and the holes in the ground are ready for containers to hold rain water to feed the plants above.
In phase 2 we have been stripping back the surface ready to dig the new gardens and create a new play area. In phase 4 we have been testing the strength of the ground and undertaking works to make it stronger before we can move on to the next stage of work there.
We will reopen areas to the public as soon as possible working from the sundial to the entrance of Old Town Street. The first of these will be outside of House of Fraser which should be opened in the summer.
We would like to thank those who live, work, own businesses and visit the city centre. Everyone has been extremely understanding and patient through all this and we are really sorry about the inconvenience caused.
If you would like more information about what works we are undertaking at Old Town Street and New George Street, see our web page.