Gloucester city centre gets £11m for Greyfriars Quarter plan

The Greyfriars Quarter will see a complete revamp of the area around the Eastgate Shopping Centre

A scheme to transform Gloucester city centre has been approved after receiving £11m of Levelling Up Funding.

The Greyfriars Quarter will see a complete revamp of the area around the Eastgate Shopping Centre.

This will complement a multi-million pound regeneration currently taking place across Gloucester, the city council said.

Meanwhile Cheltenham will also receive £20m to support the delivery of a National Cyber Innovation Centre.

A bid by Gloucester City Council for £12.5m to get the Greyfriars Quarter fully refurbished was previously unsuccessful, but the government has now put £11m behind it.

The money comes from the "Levelling Up" project, which aims to create jobs, drive growth, and make sure that people "feel pride in the places that they call home".

'Christmas come early'

In Gloucester it is hoped the money will fund a "vibrant" garden quarter, that will see part of the shopping centre given an overhaul and spaces set aside for community activities.

A new market and foodhall will also be created, as well as a park and gardens, all set within the grounds of the 13th century Greyfriars monastery.

Leader of Gloucester City Council, Richard Cook, said: "This is fantastic news and is Christmas come early for Gloucester.

"The nature of city centres is changing and we've coming up with new ways to reuse these spaces as places for leisure, living and learning as well as retail which will ensure the city remains a vibrant place to visit."

The proposals included a new market and food hall and repurposed spaces for community activities

The current market will be refurbished to house a multi-purpose performance space for dance, music, fitness, community and leisure events.

The plan also includes a proposal to create serviced apartments, providing a place to stay and the creation of flexible workspaces.

The new scheme would also see the construction of a new urban park, outdoor gym, play area and cycle hub.

Richard Graham, Conservative MP Gloucester, said: "This complements work done by our council in Kings Square and The Forum and our University at the new City Campus, as well as GWR led work at our Railway Station," he said.

"It's another great sign of confidence in our plans to improve Gloucester."