Shopping centre upgrade plans to be published amid rising costs

Plans for the city centre regeneration will be published in March

A multi-million pound plan to regenerate Gloucester's Eastgate Shopping Centre should be published in March, with city chiefs confident the project will be a success despite rising construction costs.

Gloucester City Council successfully bid for government funding in November, which will pave the way for a complete revamp of the city's Greyfriars Quarter.

The project will overhaul the shopping centre, with spaces set aside for community activities, a new market and food hall, and a park and gardens.

The City Council has until March 2026 to deliver the project.

The Market Hall could be transformed into a leisure space

Council leaders were asked if they were confident they could deliver the scheme given the rising costs.

Council leader Richard Cook told a cabinet meeting the authority has not yet decided the scope of the work that will be undertaken, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) said

However, he said he is confident that "we will deliver a successful project in that area".

Opposition leader Jeremy Hilton said it was a very important regeneration project that his [Liberal Democrat] group supports but it needs input from all councillors and full public consultation. He also asked when the project plan would be made available.

Mr Cook said it is expected to be available by March for councillors to look at, and assured Mr Hilton that all members would be included.

The shopping centre plan also includes a proposal to create serviced apartments and the creation of flexible workspaces within the refurbished 18th Century house adjacent to the friary.