Barbican set for Mayflower spruce up
Roads and pavements around the Barbican and waterfront will be getting some TLC as part of a scheme to get the city ready for Mayflower400.
Plymouth City Council is embarking on a £2 million Mayflower maintenance programme to make sure the streets are in tip-top condition ahead of the key year. A further £735,000 is to be spent on repairing pavements.
The Council’s Highways team and road maintenance contractor SWH have drawn up a to-do list which includes tackling cracked pavements, re-laying roads that have deteriorated and fixing pot holes.
The work will take place around the city centre and the waterfront so that thousands of visitors as well as locals will be able to use pavements and roads in tip-top condition for the Mayflower commemorations.
The significant work will get underway on Monday 2 September with the temporary, seven week closure of Southside Street to enable cobbles to be re-laid or restored and stabilised. Cracked pavement slabs will replaced. The road will remain open to pedestrians.
A Plymouth City Council spokesperson said: “We know how strongly people feel about our historic cobbles – so we are re-grouting cobbled roads to help preserve our unique heritage as well as repairing cracked pavements.
“We want Plymouth to look its best for Mayflower 400. The work will no doubt cause some inconvenience, but we need to get this work sorted in time for 2020.”
The maintenance work has been drawn up to take into account other major road schemes including Charles Cross and work on the viaduct. Utilities companies are being asked to send work proposals in advance to better coordinate schemes and to keep as many road closures off the city network next year as possible.
Sarah Gibson, Waterfront Manager and Chief Executive of the Plymouth Waterfront Partnership said: “Business owners have been lobbying for years for repairs to paving and cobbles in the Barbican so it’s good news that the broken slabs, concrete and tarmac patch infills are set to be removed and cobbles and paving stones re-laid to uphold the historic setting of the Conservation Area.
“We appreciate the scale of the Council’s investments and that the timeline has been set by the drive to be ready for the Mayflower 400 commemorations. The quality of the repairs is vitally important so we’re keen that the Council ensures the works are carried out appropriately.
“September and October are busy months for the city and the Barbican will remain open for business throughout the works. Local car parks and on-street parking in the surrounding areas will all be accessible.
“We understand that the buses and coaches will be re-routed to continue to service the area and that the road closure will be lifted during the weekends. The Plymouth Seafood Festival also takes place on 14 and 15 September and will be unaffected so do come on down and enjoy the atmosphere.”
The aim is to concentrate on key locations over a condensed period of time over the next few months. Once Mayflower 400 is in full swing, the focus will be on other areas of the city.
Ahead of each scheme, the contractors will give information to homes and businesses in the immediate vicinity so that they can plan services and deliveries in time.
People and businesses can also sign up to the Council’s weekly roadwork report. www.plymouth.gov.uk/roadsandpavements/roadworks
