Contract for Colchester 'piazza' worth up to £1m given green light
The contracts been awarded for the new public open space
Last updated 28th Jan 2022
A new “piazza” will be built in an Essex town centre after a contract worth up to £1million was awarded last night.
Colchester councillors voted to award the contract for new public open spaces in St Nicholas Square and Balkerne Gate to Brooks & Wood.
The borough council was granted £1m in funding by the Department for Levelling Up, Homes and Communities in 2020, as part of the Town Deal programme.
Councillors at the meeting said a public square in Colchester had been first suggested in 1966.
Portfolio Holder for Economy, Business and Heritage Darius Laws (Con, Rural North) said public realm projects such as this were “not easy” and planners face many obstacles to their designs, including a former graveyard on the site.
He also said the project marked a shift in the priorities of the town centre away from private car use.
He told the meeting: “It’s going to be a piazza, it’s going to be a place for people.
“That’s where our town centres are going, they’re not going to be about parked cars, it’s got to end, people have got to open their eyes to it.
“Town centres are for people and that’s what we’re going to do here.”
The public spaces are being designed so that they can be used by residents during the day as well as at night, when the square will be lit up by LEDs.
According to a council report, all the potential bids were affected by price rises for materials and supply chain issues, experienced by the industry nation-wide.
Brooks & Wood was still significantly higher than originally costed, despite being the cheapest offer.
The project will be managed by Colchester Amphora on the council’s behalf, the report continues.
Disability groups were also consulted over the designs for the spaces.
According to the report, the works aim to turn St Nicholas Square and Balkerne Gate into “gateway locations”.
These would link Colchester’s existing car parks, leisure and retail, and also complement other public and private sector investments in the town.
Other schemes the new spaces aim to complement include the £35m Fenwick department store anchor development, a new Curzon Cinema, a £28m Firstsite visual arts facility, the £10m Greyfriars boutique hotel and the recent £10m refurbishment and expansion of the George Hotel, according to the report.