Following community engagement on the draft proposals, the design was refined and the planning application was submitted and approved. The final design (please see attached) ensures the space is welcoming to all residents and visitors, while respecting the space as a garden of memory and its cultural significance for commemoration and ceremony.
Work is due to start on site from 5 January 2026 and we have appointed an award-winning landscape specialist contractor, Blakedown Landscapes, to carry out the work.
What You Need To Know
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Working hours on site will be limited to Monday to Friday, 8am – 6pm, and Saturday, 8am – 1pm.
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One disabled parking bay on Union Street will be unavailable for the duration of the work. The remaining disabled parking bays and electric vehicle charging bay on Union Street will be unaffected. The next nearest disabled parking bays are Ashdown Road (3 spaces), Ashdown Car Park (8 spaces), Lady Booth Road (1 space) and High Street (3 spaces, near the Rose Theatre).
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The loading bay on Union Street will be shortened to allow for construction material storage. The nearest alternative loading bay is on Eden Street, at the junction with Crown Passage.
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The boundary of the site hoarding will extend into Memorial Square (3.5m at its widest) for the duration of the works. This will not impact any shopfronts.
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Union Street continues to be otherwise open, but please expect daily construction vehicles moving materials in and out of the site via Union Street, which will be particularly frequent during the first 6 weeks of work. We will look to schedule these to ensure they don’t clash with waste collections.
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We will try to keep noise to a minimum, but expect that the noisiest part of the work will be in January, particularly towards the end of the month.
Communities are set to enjoy improved connectivity and accessibility, with new pathways from Eden Walk and Pratt’s Passage, upgraded lighting and enhanced green space with more trees, planting and seating areas.
Enhancements will also highlight and improve the setting of important heritage assets, including the War Memorial and the gravestone of Josiah Clues, a Lieutenant in the British Army who served in the Battle of Waterloo.
The works are due to be completed by late spring 2026.
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