Valley Gardens latest.

 Looking south along Marlborough Place

Detailed designs for the city’s Valley Gardens project go before the Environment, Transport and Sustainability Committee on 28 November for what could be final approval.

If approved these plans would see around 3000 square metres of highway space turned over to open space – a seven per cent increase equivalent to the area of  11 tennis courts.  New public squares would be created south of St Peter’s and opposite the Richmond pub.

At the same time, the road layout would be radically simplified, making it easier to navigate. New improved routes would be created for sustainable transport including walking, cycling, buses and taxi

Traffic lights will be modernised – using MOVA technology which can detect vehicles and change lights to optimise throughput at junctions.

Local contractors have been appointed to plan how to minimise traffic disruption caused by roadworks as the scheme is built. The aim is to keep both northbound and southbound traffic flowing throughout the works, except for short periods of resurfacing.

The main changes to roads involve putting both north- and southbound traffic on the east side of the Valley. Buses, taxis and traffic bound for the North Laine area would use a quieter road on the west side, which would form much less of barrier between the city and the green space.

Nearly all of the £11m cost is funded by government money which, by law, can only be spent on Valley Gardens.

If approved works should start next spring and be completed around spring 2020.