News

01 Oct 21

A once in a lifetime £11m transformation of Barnstaple town centre is underway and is due to be delivered in 2024. This exciting redevelopment scheme will “restore and strengthen Barnstaple’s status as the heart of civic, commercial, educational, cultural and community life in North Devon”.

North Devon Council agreed to invest £4.4m to support the £6.5m allocation from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government’s Future High Streets Fund for improvements in the town.

The improvement projects form the ‘Market Quarter’. The proposal was developed with the aim of transforming the town into one where residents have access to high quality retail, leisure and open spaces where local businesses thrive in fit-for-purpose spaces and visitors want to explore.

The scheme comprises four distinct projects:

• Pannier Market and Guildhall – This project will repurpose and diversify the market into a flexible space for more varied and ambitious programme of markets, events and community gatherings.
• Boutport Development – this will involve the refurbishment of the Grade II listed 36 Boutport Street and a new development to 37 Boutport Street to provide workspace and town centre living in an inspiring mixed-use development, creating avital new pedestrian gateway to the town centre
• Queen Street Access – This project will realign, combine and upgrade Queen Street/Bear Street car parks, to provide an accessible, attractive parking destination for visitors and improve access to the town centre from the car parks
• Butchers Row and Cross Street – This element will see the   permanent daytime pedestrianisation (between 10am – 4pm) and improvements to the public realm of Butchers Row and Cross Street to create a vibrant open space for all to enjoy.

When complete, these schemes will create a new gathering space, increase footfall, improve the viability of the Pannier Market and Butcher’s Row’s retail outlets, and connect the historic core to the riverfront. It will make Barnstable Town Centre a unique destination and provide an enhanced experience for residents and visitors.

Clarkebond are very pleased to be commissioned to provide civil and structural engineering consultancy, survey and design services to support these exciting projects.