Riverside Regeneration - Work Gets Underway on Return of Town Centre Cinema, Public Squares and More

Preparatory work for the building of the river-fronted public square, new hotel, cinema and restaurants including Wagamama and Zizzi got underway in Bedford Town Centre today.

Following the successful demolition of the 1960's Town Hall office block, which is to be replaced by a large public square, the riverside regeneration alongside promises a new leisure and dining experience for everyone to enjoy on Bedford's riverside.

The development represents further tangible regeneration in the town as progress continues towards Mayor Dave Hodgson's vision for a town centre which is attractive in its own right for a range of activities include retail, leisure and culture.

New hoardings have been erected enveloping the new development site which has now moved on from the former town hall office block site alone to include the Riverside Square Surface Car Park.

The developer-funded scheme will also include a new pedestrian bridge over the river linking the development to St Mary's Gardens.

In the last 18 months new surface car parks have been opened to the public at Greyfriars and Prebend St, providing over 400 new spaces, replacing the 146 spaces at Riverside Square.

Commenting, Mayor Dave Hodgson said: "Major development is already underway in Bedford Borough with construction of the final stage of the Western Bypass and the imminent opening of the new bus station. Further growth and jobs, in addition to increased town centre footfall, will be created by this development which brings town centre cinema back to Bedford and creates new public space by the river.

"This developer-funded scheme is in line with our vision of ensuring that Bedford town centre is an attractive destination in its own right for a variety of activities, which is crucial in these challenging times for all UK High Streets.

"Bedford is already bucking both local and national trends in seeing shop vacancy rates falling over recent years, and this riverside development will bring many more visitors to Bedford for shopping and entertainment."

The Riverside Square Car Park will be closed with effect from the end of the day on Wednesday 11 March, as the developer will need access to the site. Hoardings will then be erected around the whole of the development site to the north of the river.

In addition to the recently-opened alternative public car parks at Prebend St and Greyfriars, parking facilities have also been improved further in Bedford town centre with the multi-million pound refurbishment of Allhallows Multi-Storey car park, which involved extensive improvement works.