Work to Begin on Exciting New Riverside Development

With the vast majority of the units already taken up by top names such as Wagamama and Zizzi, preliminary work to build the new hotel, cinema, restaurants and a large river-fronted public square is set to get underway along Bedford's river front.

Following the successful demolition of the 1960's office block that was Bedford Town Hall, Riverside North promises a new leisure and dining experience for everyone to enjoy on Bedford's riverside.

New hoardings have been erected enveloping the new development site which will move on from the former town hall to include River Side 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.

Lib Dem Mayor of Bedford Borough, 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 is 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.