Leicester City Council awarded over £45.5m
from Government’s Levelling Up Fund
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ARTIST'S IMPRESSION OF ENTRANCE OF LEICESTER RAILWAY STATION
Exciting news as Leicester, one of only three locations, is awarded Levelling Up funding for three projects. City Centre Director Sarah Harrison explains how it will support the city's economic recovery and help create hundreds of new jobs
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fter bidding for a portion of the government’s Levelling Up Fund, Leicester City Council has been awarded £45.5m which will go towards three major projects across the city. The Levelling Up Fund is granted to major capital projects designed for the long-term. Funds given out are to be used to create jobs, encourage new investment, and enable business growth. Leicester City Council will be using the money towards the revamp of Leicester railway station (£17.6m); the transformation of the former factory buildings at Pilot House, King Street into new start-up units for creative businesses (£8.5m); and £19.4million for three plans in and around Pioneer Park and Exploration Drive, complementing The University of Leicester’s Space Park development. 10 | NICHE
Leicester’s railway station revamp
An ambitious £22m scheme to remodel the station’s entrance and create a more attractive new gateway to the city centre have been given a major boost with the award of £17.6m of government funding. The station would be effectively restored to its Victorian glory by forming a new entrance into Station Street, directly facing the city centre, and restoring the booking hall to its original size to create more space for train passengers. The area immediately outside the new entrance will be remodelled with a ramp and steps leading to a large, newly glazed entrance to the main concourse. The building’s original Station Street façade will also be restored. The covered entrance hall areas on London Road – known as a port cochère – would be transformed into an attractive new plaza for retail, food, and drinks, with the existing taxi ranks reallocated nearby on Station Street. The railway station revamp has seen a first phase of regeneration in the area which, in the longer term, could help attract more private investment and new development in the area. The proposals will be subject to planning permission, and detailed design and development work is now underway. It is expected that construction will begin in early 2023 and be completed by mid-2024.
