Colchester Borough Council award £1m contract to create 'piazza'

Plans for new open spaces in Colchester will go forward after contractors were agreed upon during a town hall meeting

A contract worth up to £1m has been awarded to create a piazza in an Essex town.

Two spaces in Colchester in St Nicholas Square and Balkerne Gate will benefit from investment.

The funding came from the Department for Levelling Up, Homes and Communities in 2020, as part of the town deal programme.

Colchester Borough Council said the project showed a change in priority from cars to people.

After a vote during the council's cabinet meeting on Wednesday, the contract was awarded to Brooks and Wood, however the council heard that all the potential bids had increased after being affected by nation-wide supply chain issues and price increases.

Darius Laws, portfolio holder for economy, business and heritage, said these projects were "not easy" and planners face many obstacles to their designs, including a former graveyard on the site.

He said: "It's going to be a piazza, it's going to be a place for people.

"That's where our town centres are going, they're not going to be about parked cars, it's got to end, people have got to open their eyes to it.

"Town centres are for people and that's what we're going to do here."

The project will be managed by Colchester Amphora on the council's behalf, reports the Local Democracy Reporting Service.