High Town refurbishment complete

The last of the new feature paths in High Town, Hereford will be laid this week, and no more major work is planned in the city centre until January 2008.

The paths are part of the major refurbishment which Herefordshire Council has been undertaking in High Town, but their installation was delayed to keep the city centre clear of works for the Christmas period. 

There are four granite paths inlaid with brass lettering: one of them leading from the Old House to Booth Hall passage and one from the forgotten entrance near WH Smiths which was originally a medieval alley, both featuring people associated with Hereford and Herefordshire.  A further path which identifies locations can be found down Capuchin Lane and the fourth is outside the Butter Market featuring part of a poem by Thomas Traherne.

“The new paths add the final touch to the refurbishment of High Town and I’m sure they will prove a popular point of interest for visitors to our city” said Councillor Wilcox, Cabinet Member for Highways and Transportation.

“We have worked closely with our contractors to minimise disruption to the public and retailers during the refurbishment, and as a result our contractor, Wrekin Construction, has been nominated to receive a Considerate Constructor award later this month,” he added.

It was planned to refurbish Bewell Street this year, but work by private developers has meant that the refurbishment of both this area and the remainder of Widemarsh Street has had to be postponed until January 2008, although some preparatory work has been done to improve street lighting and lower underground cables.