Dunstable town centre £7m revamp finished after years of work

The completion of a three-year £7m project to improve a town centre will entice more investors into a market town, a local planner said.

Ian Dalgarno, from Central Bedfordshire Council, said the work in Dunstable meant it now looked "more attractive".

It included adding large plant pots and the removal of street furniture.

Passer-by Adam Lanford said it was "a complete waste of money", but Julia Wheatley thought "it's looking pretty good".

Work started in September 2018 to widen the pavement and remove "clutter" from the street - like railings and signs - and replace them with trees and foliage.

It also included the introduction of rain gardens, that soak up water, hold it in storage tanks underneath and release it back into the sewer system.

It was completed in May, with just a few "finishing touches and minor snagging" issues to be completed, Mr Dalgarno, the Conservative executive councillor for community services, said.

"As well as improving the ambiance of the area, it was also an engineering aspect."

The "joined up project" was funded by the government's Homes England scheme, National Highways, South East Midlands Local Enterprise Partnership (SEMLEP), the Local Growth Fund, and Anglian Water.

The BBC spoke to people in the town centre to get their views.

Anthony Smith, joint-owner of Allframe art gallery on the High Street, said the work was a step in the right direction, although it did take a very long time.

"It definitely looks better, I think the large rust plant pots look quite pleasant, but if it will increase trade, that depends," he said.

"More needs to be done to entice more people in, like sorting out the car parking charges."

Ms Wheatley, who lives and works in the town, said: "All the pavements look decent and the pots and planting around the town is looking pretty good.

"The traffic is actually moving much better a lot of the time with the new lights and there are some lovely little independent shops and food places around.

"We need to use what's here so we don't lose them too."

Ophelia Lynch, in a post on the Don't Let Dunstable Die Facebook group, said: "The car lane layouts are beyond ridiculous, it causes more traffic.

"The rust pots, as big and pointless as they are, could have been a nicer colour."

She added that she missed the old Welcome to Dunstable signs, as she hated the new ones.

In another comment, Deb Swinney said at first she did not like the new pots but "they've grown on me".

"I think the general High Street area looks much more open and welcoming without all the rails, and the pavement improvements are good."

Mr Langford said: "A complete waste of money, especially the traffic light changes in the centre - whoever thought that was a good idea clearly hasn't tried to use them."

A founders of the Facebook group, Sharon Warboys and Sharon Knott said they thought most of the improvements were "positive".

"The trees and flowers look wonderful and the new information boards are an improvement, the rustic flower pots will improve as the foliage matures," they said.

"The diagonal crossing is an improvement that allows people to walk from Church Street to West Street.

"The negative is the road layout at the crossroads; they have reduced the lanes on some approaches."

Mr Dalgarno said: "We believe the work will bring more visitors and investors in, they will come into the town centre and feel like it's a town centre.

"It's to entice investors who will hopefully see Dunstable as a great place to live and work.

"If you're looking to open a business, the investment that's gone in makes it a very attractive place to shop and visit.

"Traffic doesn't dominate the main High Street anymore, it feels like we've given it back to the community."

The council said its Dunstable High Street Fun Day, taking place on Saturday, 16 July, at Middle Row Markets, from 10:00 BST, was being held to thank everyone for their patience during the works.

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