Preston is no stranger to major urban renewal. But more is coming. £14.7m of the Transforming Cities Fund is being funnelled towards two areas: Friargate North and Ringway.
Proposals have been drawn to improve mobility, reduce travel time and lower carbon emissions throughout Preston. The work will connect both sides of the city while granting pedestrians more freedom.
The project will add cycle lanes, a crossing on the Ringway/Friargate junction and outdoor furniture under dozens of new trees, as well as pedestrianizing parts of Corporation Street.
There are several key benefits to the scheme. For example, air quality will improve with fewer emissions. Roads are also safer in a cycle-friendly city. Meanwhile, each tree can absorb up to 150kg of carbon and provide shelter on hot days. This will not only benefit the community at large, but an increasing number of visitors to the city centre. More than half of Preston’s high street shoppers on a given weekday don’t live here.
With more open, accessible urban planning, people will be happier, healthier and greener on the move. This impacts everything around the regeneration, such as social and work demands. Currently, the average Preston business loses an estimated £17,000 a year from congestion. Without those impediments, the city looks even better as a place to grow or expand a business, or advance a career.
Residents are invited to have their say until the end of April. Should the project get the greenlight, it will undoubtedly cement Preston’s status as the top place to live and work in the North West.
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