Town Centre Public Realm

During 2014 Oadby and Wigston Borough Council and Leicestershire County Council undertook the comprehensive redevelopment of the public realm along The Parade in Oadby and Bell Street in Wigston. This page outlines the works undertaken.

The Public Realm Schemes

To enable the two schemes the two authorities negotiated a £520,000 contribution from the European Regional Development Fund towards an £830,000 project. The project sees both Bell Street in Wigston and The Parade in Oadby dramatically improved. The schemes incorporate new design standards and styles which can be seen in the new paving, street furniture and planting. The transformation has also created pedestrian spaces that are safe and free from unneeded clutter. As well as the entrance to Bell Street, Leicestershire County Council will be resurfacing the road surface along The Parade in Oadby. To ensure that the traders within Oadby town centre are not affected by further works over the Christmas trading period the resurfacing is due to take place during spring 2015.

The project not only makes the two centres of Wigston and Oadby more aesthetically pleasing to residents and visitors alike but ensures the centres continue to attract economic investment by widening the range of shops and facilities available. To gain the financial contribution from the European Regional Development Fund, Oadby and Wigston Borough Council and Leicestershire County Council committed a £320,000 match, split £118,000 and £192,000 respectively.

The project comprises one of the first major projects in implementing the Oadby and Wigston Town Centres Action Plan and has been designed in compliance with the Borough's Public Realm Strategy.

Public Realm Strategy Supplementary Planning Document

The Public Realm Strategy Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) is a planning policy document that focuses on the public realm and public spaces within the Borough of Oadby and Wigston. The document supplements current and emerging planning policies contained within the Saved Local Plan, the Core Strategy, the Town Centres Area Action Plan and the Local Plan Review.

Set out in the Core Strategy, and the Town Centres Area Action Plan, the town centre of Wigston and the two district centres of Oadby and South Wigston are fundamental to the aspirations, improvements and development of the entire borough. Allied to this must be an improvement in the quality of the borough’s public realm. The Council must develop a vision for its streets and spaces of the three centres, to improve, not only their image but to establish a better position for potential investment. Examples of the Public Realm Strategy vision can be seen within the recent public realm transformation works in the centres of Wigston and Oadby.

So why produce a Public Realm Strategy?

The Borough's streets and public spaces are a public service that is available for use 24 hours a day, seven days a week, all year round. With this demand comes a need for public spaces that are of high quality, designed to be efficient and are flexible for different users needs. Currently, the public realm within the Borough is not of a standard commensurate to its status.

The aim of this Public Realm Strategy is to add value to the policies in the Town Centres Area Action Plan and the implementation of development schemes in the town and district centres, other regeneration areas, and the wider Borough. It also sets out public realm best practice examples, new design and material standards and style. It seeks to give guidance as to how the streets can be reclaimed by the pedestrian rather than the motor vehicle and bring the environmental standards up to a level commensurate with the status afforded the centres by the Town Centres Area Action Plan and the Core Strategy. Improvements to the public realm of the three centres will create a sense of pride, local distinctiveness and positive identity that generates social and economic confidence. The Public Realm Strategy will apply to any new development where there is public access or where development is likely to have an impact on the public realm.

Public Realm Strategy Supplementary Planning Document