Public realm works update
Market Place work gets underway
Major work to improve Kegworth Market Place will start on 18 March, as part of a major investment in the village.
The work is expected to last around three months (ending before the Download Festival at Castle Donington in mid-June). The plans, which have been directly influenced by feedback from businesses and residents, include:
- Reopening the southern end to create a one-way entrance (the northern end will remain two-way)
- A new parking layout with the same number of spaces
- New benches, planting and parking for bikes
- Wider pavements and a pedestrian crossing point on Derby Road between the northern end of Market Place and the churchyard
Please note that during the alterations there will be no parking at any time of day on Market Place itself. Every effort will be made to keep the layby spaces near the Derby Road bus stop open, but there may be times when these also have to close for health and safety reasons.
Parking spaces will also stay open on Market Place Road past the church to Nottingham Road. All people parking there will be asked to limit their stay to one hour, out of courtesy to others.
During the work there will be temporary traffic lights and single file traffic on the main road past Market Place.
Vehicle access to The Croft will also remain and pedestrians will still have access to all the businesses on Market Place. Business deliveries will continue too, although arrangements will change as the work progresses. Bus services and routes will be unchanged.
This is a technically complex scheme, which has had to take account of ownership and access issues, public utilities (in particular, a major water aqueduct which passes through Kegworth), and potential impact on private properties.
Improvements to London Road
As part of the same public realm project and starting at the same time, the pavement will be built out on London Road out of Kegworth, to slow traffic by creating a single lane ‘give and take’ passing point.
There will be temporary traffic signals during these works, plus a push button pedestrian crossing temporarily installed near New Brickyard Lane where the footway is closed for the widening works.
Resurfacing work
Separate plans to resurface parts of London Road and Derby Road in Kegworth – between south of Whatton Road and the junction at the top of Borough Street – will start after the Market Place improvements are completed.
This County Council work is not part of the public realm project, but is being brought forward by more than a year to ensure that any disruption happens in the same period.
The resurfacing is expected to last 2-3 weeks, starting in mid-July at the beginning of the school summer holiday. It will involve temporary traffic lights and some road closures.
About the project
The Kegworth Public Realm Project is being overseen by a Project Board made up of councillors and officers of Kegworth Parish Council and North West Leicestershire District Council – with input from Leicestershire County Council, which is carrying out the work.
The £1m scheme has four different elements:
- New road gateways into the village (completed)
- Relocation of the southbound Market Place bus shelter (completed)
- The Market Place alterations
- The changes to London Road
Funding is already in place – £500,000 from the Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership, £450,000 from the District Council and £50,000 from the Parish Council.
The Market Place plans have been directly shaped by the views of local people and businesses. You can read more about how those views were collected here.
View the Kegworth Market Place Plan (PDF Document, 0.83 Mb)
Project history
The long-awaited Kegworth bypass opened in November 2018, removing much heavy traffic from the village. This created opportunities to think about what other improvements can be made.
The Parish Council consulted with the community, which led to the current layout of in Market Place. These changes increased car parking opportunities overall, but the layout of spaces in Market Place has not been popular.
Funding the changes
Consultation responses showed residents unhappy with proposals to see council tax bills increase to fund further work in the village.
Funding was therefore sought from the Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership (LLEP) and North West Leicestershire District Council. This was secured in 2020 and has since been extended to ensure the project can be delivered. In total, £1million is available.
A pandemic and a pause
Work started on producing concepts and ideas for Market Place which were due to be shared with residents and businesses in Kegworth in November 2020. With Covid restrictions hindering efforts to seek views from local people, and following initial negative feedback from the public, it was decided to pause and revisit the plans.
Talking to businesses in and around Market Place
In May 2021, businesses were invited to share their thoughts on the current Market Place layout and where they would like to see improvements. The findings were passed on to the designers and informed the current plans.
Improving footways on London Road
As well as the work on Market Place, the funding for improving Kegworth’s centre included creating better access for pedestrians, cyclists, other wheeled users and those with disabilities. The focus was on the main route into the village from Loughborough and Hathern where the footway was narrow.
The plan here was also to slow down traffic approaching Market Place on London Road and so a build out was proposed so traffic coming into the village would give way to that coming out.
Gateways and bus shelters
The funding also covered the creation of gateways into the village to help slow traffic. This work has been completed, as has installing a new bus shelter opposite Market Place – bringing the bus stop and shelter together.
Last updated: Fri 23 February, 2024 @ 09:50