£700k street revamp to start next month

A sunny street lined with buildings including shops and cafes. On the left, a cafe has outdoor seating under white umbrellas. Colourful bunting has been strung across the street between buildings. A few people are walking along the pavement and in the distance. The sky is clear and blue.Richard Madden/BBC

The council says a project to replace paving and install new seating and planters will cost about £700,000

Richard Madden, in Hessle

A £700,000 project to replace paving on a busy shopping street will start next month, East Riding of Yorkshire Council has confirmed.

Work on Prestongate, Hessle will start on 6 October and is due to be finished by March, officials said.

The scheme will see existing block paving and tarmac replaced by new stonework as well as new seating and planters.

A council spokesperson said the response from businesses and people living in the area to the plans had been "overwhelmingly positive".

In April, traders voiced concerns about the potential impact the work could have on their trade.

Council officials said the work would be "considerate" and "minimise disruption".

"We have worked closely with the contractor to phase the works in a way that maintains pedestrian and vehicle access to unaffected areas," they added.

Three people in maroon shirts stand together in a butcher shop, with one wearing a striped apron. Their arms are around each other. Behind them is a selection of meat on a chopping block alongside knives and saws. A door on the right of the image is obscured by colourful ribbons.Richard Madden/BBC

Robin Goodfellow (centre), pictured with his son Joshua and daughter Aimee, said he was "very excited" about the work starting

Robin Goodfellow, who opened his butchers shop with his brother almost 40 years ago, said he was "very excited" about the plans to remove the "higgledy-piggledy" pavement.

He said: "Hessle needs something like this. It's a lovely town and the people deserve it. The tarmac is awful so it'll look incredible when it is done.

"The council has also agreed to install a bench outside the shop with a plaque to commemorate my brother who died a couple of years ago so that will mean a lot to my family too."

East Riding of Yorkshire Council said the improvement works will be paused in December to "support the festive trading period" and other activities would be take place outside business hours to minimise disruption.

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