Concerns resurfacing has ‘wrecked’ city centre street
The work is part of a new cycle route
There are concerns that roadworks as part of a new cycle route in Gloucester city centre have “wrecked” Northgate Street as York stone paving is replaced by a “tacky” surface.
The changes are part of Gloucestershire County Council’s ambitious cycle spine which aims to connect Bishop’s Cleeve with Stroud via Cheltenham and Gloucester.
But Councillor Rebecca Trimnell (LD, Hempsted and Westgate), who represents the area at Shire Hall, says she is getting a lot of complaints over the issue.
She fears the work has gone ahead “all guns blazing” without consideration for the historic nature of Gloucester city centre.
“I have been getting a lot of complaints from residents and rightly so, anyone who remembers what this area was like prior to these works would say that it has simply been wrecked,” she said.
“I went for a walkabout with officers from the county who tried to reassure me that it would look ok after the last time I objected to the York stone being taken up outside the church on Northgate Street. Personally, I wasn’t convinced then and I am even less convinced now.
“I strongly feel this work has gone ahead – all guns blazing with the ultimate goal of getting a linear line up the gate streets, but no consideration has been given to the historic nature of the city.
“It has changed the whole ambience of this area of the city and certainly not in a good way”.
A county resident who contacted the Local Democracy Reporting Service described the surfacing on Northgate Street as “tacky”.
The council has been approached for comment.
They say on the plans for Northgate Street that once all junction work is complete a specialist contractor will apply an imprinted asphalt finish to footways where paving slabs have been replaced.
“This process involves heating the asphalt and pressing a patterned template into the surface to replicate the appearance of hand-laid paving stones,”
“The surface is then coated in a colour specifically chosen to complement the surrounding environment.
“This method not only maintains the visual integrity of the area but also offers practical benefits, being more flexible and quicker to install, resulting in much less disruptions to businesses in the area.”