As part of the council’s £330m refurbishment of the Town Hall, they’ve unveiled plans to make Albert Square 20% larger – limiting traffic access to only the Princess Street side.
That means that the current taxi rank and bus stops will all be gone, with the square extending right over the road and joining the pavements where you’ll find Duttons and The Albert Square Chop House. I’m not the best at explaining it all – so just look at the pictures I suppose.
Another piece of good news is that this will then eradicate the need for those horrible concrete barriers that currently surround the square – making it a much more attractive area altogether if you ask me!
Work on the square will coincide with the current improvements taking place on the Town Hall, a 7-year project that will see it re-open in 2024.
That means that the area is going to look a complete mess for a fair while – just look at this image that I found of what it’s going to look like…
It should all be worth it though – a bigger square means bigger events and less crowing at the Christmas Markets (hopefully). The eradication of a rather major thoroughfare through the city will also be welcome news to those opposed to city centre traffic and pollution.
