St Annes Town Centre Improvement Project

The St Annes Improvements Project, a cornerstone of the St Annes Masterplan, is set to bring transformative changes to the town centre. Creating a St Annes town centre ‘square’ provides opportunities for an adaptable area by reducing the dominance of the existing road. This can be achieved without significant construction work. Additionally, by de-cluttering the street, visibility and connectivity between retailers and hospitality outlets will improve. This area will serve the community better and enhance the tourism experience.   

Following extensive public consultation and design revisions, Fylde Council have approved an expanded scheme with a revised budget of £2.91 million. Gosling Consulting LTD, BDP, and LCC (Lancashire County Council) are involved in the project. 

STAYING INFORMED

The Project team will be supported by a liaison officer to provide communication links between the public, businesses and other stakeholders during the project.

WhatsApp Channel

The Project has a WhatsApp Channel where you can keep up to date with progress, notifiers, and view images and documents during the works. A WhatsApp channel provides one-way communication. Open your mobile phone’s camera, and if you have WhatsApp on your phone, it will take you to the projects channel. Please use the question area further below to ask the team any questions.

St Annes High Street Imp Whatsapp QR Code

Face to Face Updates

These will be held at the Town Hall, St Annes where you can meet the project team and find out where the project is up to.

16th October – Public Drop-in Session, 1pm – 6pm

17th October – Business Update Meeting, 5pm – 7pm

8th January – Public Drop-in Session, 3pm – 6pm

9th January – Business Update Meeting, 5.30pm – 7pm

12th March – Public Drop-in Session, 3pm – 6pm

13th March – Business Update Meeting, 5.30pm – 7pm

21st May – Public Drop-in Session, 3pm – 6pm

22nd May – Business Update Meeting, 5.30pm – 7pm

FAQ’s

The Team is compiling an FAQ Sheet of questions posed from the Public and Businesses that cannot be answered by reading the St Annes Masterplan and St Annes Event Space documents further above. Please submit your question using the form below and the team will endeavour to answer them.

The project works will commence on Monday 4th November 2024 and run through until mid to late May 2025.

Phase one: is to create the new North side bus stops with a new layby outside of Boots, St Annes Road West.

Phase two: Creates a wider bus layby on the opposite side of the road.

These works will mainly take place within the highways during November 2024 and January 2025.

Two-way vehicular traffic will continue.

To maintain safety, the garden and bench seating areas from Garden Street to Boot’s shop must be temporarily closed.

Access fronting all shops will be maintained along the walkway.

St Annes new North Bus Stops

Only one car park will be taken off-line, and only during phases three and four (Orchard Road Junction to Clifton Drive end).

No parking bays are being removed in this project.

Phases three and four include the area below.

The new North Bus Layby will be constructed between 4th November and 18th December 2024. The St Annes Road West bus stop locations will remain in situ over the Christmas period and will be unaffected by the works.

In January 2025, the Southern Bus Layby will be improved by widening the highway, with construction continuing until February. A temporary bus stop will be provided for two months near the affected vicinity.  Updates will be given on the timings and timetable information when confirmed via various communication channels including;

  • Fylde Council Newsletter
  • Fylde Council Social Media - Facebook
  • WhatsApp Channel for the project (see QR code on this page)
  • Town Centre Map Board - Outside B & M
  • This webpage - for links/downloads
  • Local Press
  • Transport Company communications

Works to the area between Garden Street and Clifton Drive will commence around the second week of January 2025. Again, updates will be given on any changes to bus routes using St Annes Road West, with timetable information, when confirmed.

The proof of need, and results of the public questionnaire are within the Masterplan Document.

The project is a St Annes Town Centre public realm improvement scheme, with space included to form a ‘square’ in the heart of the town centre to enable events, markets, and other community gatherings. The improvements include improved lighting on Orchard Road and Garden Street.

Also, to improve transport links and awareness of the other shopping streets, the bus stops on St Annes Road West are being moved to to the top of the square. Landscaping will be refreshed and lowered, new more modern seating, new pedestrian surfaces to improve access for all.

No.

The Farmers Market organiser has been consulted and the work will not affect the markets throughout the project.

St Annes Farmers Markets in December will be held on Thursday 5th December, and Sunday 22nd December.

The Farmers Markets will continue to be held on the first Thursday of every month, which always starts again in February.

It will eventually move location to the newly widened pavement area between Clifton Drive and Orchard Road after May 2025.

The work is being funded by Fylde Council, Lancashire County Council, and the Governments UK Shared Prosperity Fund

George Cox & Sons Ltd. has been awarded the contract for this project who were appointed via the RISE Framework. The company has extensive experience working on highways on the Fylde, and have consistently delivered high-quality and well-managed public realm projects.

George Cox is also currently delivering the Blackpool Enterprise Zone's new Access Road, and previously worked on the Blackpool Quality Corridor’s public realm project in Blackpool town centre.

George Cox & Sons Ltd have been working with Fylde Council and the designers to develop the new high street improvement arrangements.

The project intentions and benefits are:

  • Redevelop the existing car park to extend the events space. 
  • Remove one dome and use quality materials to create a visually appealing focal point.  
  • New amphitheatre style seating and reduced planting for an open feel. 
  • Reposition bus layby for improved pedestrian connectivity. 
  • Enhance the lighting system and modernise the street furniture in the square.
  • Improve lighting (at waist height) in Garden Street and Orchard Road.
  • Create a defined community square.
  • Improve accessibility. 
  • Environmental considerations include irrigation, planting, and recycling materials.  
  • Energy schemes – introduce solar lighting.  
Click this button to submit a question to the project team