In a fairly recent Government announcement, the Department for Levelling Up advised that Gloucester would receive a further £11 million as part of a cash distribution for levelling up Round 3. The City had bid for funding as part of the Round 2 distribution but was told that the bid was invalid because we had already received funding of £20 million in Round 1.

So, the news came as a pleasant surprise and we turned to the plans we had put together for our Round 2 application.

That earlier Round 2 application had bid for £12 million to do major work in the Greyfriars Quarter between Southgate Street and Brunswick Road.

Complete revamp for Greyfriars

The Greyfriars Quarter will see a complete revamp of the area around Eastgate Shopping Centre, complementing the massive multi-million pound regeneration currently taking place across the city.

The proposals will see part of the shopping centre, including the market hall, given an overhaul and repurposed with spaces set aside for community activities, a new market and foodhall, as well as a park and gardens – all set within the grounds of the 13th-century Greyfriars monastery.

The market hall will be relocated to another part of the shopping centre, with a contemporary new design that would see it open up onto a landscaped courtyard garden, while the current market would be refurbished to house a multi-purpose performance space for dance, music, fitness and community and leisure events.

The plan also includes a proposal to create serviced apartments, providing a unique place to stay, and the creation of flexible workspaces within the refurbished 18th-century house adjacent to the friary.

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

Of course, the cost of the initial plans are rather higher than the amount the Council has been awarded so we will have to reconsider the scope of what we do, but I have been advised that first sight of new plans will be available in March.

As we finish the Forum and the University’s plans for their city campus come to a conclusion, I am incredibly excited that we have yet another opportunity to regenerate the city centre.