Ashbourne’s Dig Street reopens to traffic today, as the main contractor delivering the highways and public realm project on behalf of the County Council makes final improvements as part of the UK Government funded Ashbourne Reborn transformation programme. The reopening of Dig Street to traffic means that all road closures in the town centre have finished, with a clear route again for pedestrians and traffic from Compton into Dig Street and St John Street, where improvement works were completed on schedule in September.
The highways and public realm scheme is led by the County Council, with contractors Galliford Try carrying out works on their behalf. It is designed to improve the pedestrian experience and reduce the dominance of traffic in the historic market town centre. On Dig Street, pavements have been widened, bike parking rings added, and improved crossing points installed. Pedestrian accessibility between Shawcroft car park and Dig Street has been improved, with the addition of a new pavement so that pedestrians can safely use both sides of Henmore bridge. Seating, planting and an accessible walkway has also been added to Shrovetide Walk, off Henmore Bridge, and two new disabled parking bays have been created at the top of Compton.
The wider pavements mean that the reopened road is now only wide enough for a single vehicle to pass. So that deliveries can be made safely, two loading bays have been installed over part of the wider pavements, marked by a change in paving colour and regulatory signage. To prevent damage to the new pavements and avoid obstructing the flow of traffic through the town centre, local project partners are asking businesses to support the changes by advising their employees and suppliers to use the loading bays provided and avoid making roadside deliveries elsewhere along the street. Other visitors to the town centre are also being asked to only park in designated bays.
The main contractor works in the town centre are expected to largely complete over the next few weeks and are being managed to enable the Christmas lights switch-on event to take place as planned in the Market Place on Saturday 15 November. After the main contractors have finished, the County Council is due to progress some remaining work, including improvements to Station Road and the Shawcroft car park area. This was always planned and is expected to cause minimal disruption.
Derbyshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Potholes, Highways and Transport, Councillor Charlotte Hill, said:
“I am pleased that Dig Street is to reopen to traffic, great news for all involved in the project, and for those who live and work in Ashbourne.
“We’ve still got to complete the work on the Market Place and our contractors are doing all they can to do this as quickly as possible. I look forward to seeing the town once all the work is complete.”
The Highways and Public Realm project is transforming the historic town centre with wider pavements, clearer pedestrian crossings and improved public spaces. It is one of two major projects within the Ashbourne Reborn programme, the second being the creation of The Link Centre, a new community hub led by Ashbourne Methodist Church. The programme is funded by UK Government via the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) with match funding raised locally, including significant funds raised from Ashbourne Methodist Church members, friends and grants, as well as grant giving organisations and local businesses.
Derbyshire Dales District Council is the Accountable Body for Ashbourne Reborn, Derbyshire County Council is responsible for delivering the Highways and Public Realm project and Ashbourne Methodist Church the Link Community Hub. These partners work in collaboration with Ashbourne Town Team, Ashbourne Town Council and AshCom who brought forward proposals, identified opportunities and raised match funding for the original bid.
To receive email updates, sign up for the newsletter at the District Council website www.derbyshiredales.gov.uk/enewsreg (tick the box for Ashbourne Reborn), or visit the Ashbourne Reborn website www.ashbournereborn.co.uk for the latest news, FAQs and detailed information about the project.
