New resin surface completed in Braintree town centre

Resin work outside tesco

A new high-quality resin surface outside Tesco in Braintree town centre was recently completed, transforming and creating a new look to the area at Market Place.

This resin has also been laid at the Lower High Street from Shake Express to the St Michaels Fountain, and the opposite footway alongside The Boars Head.

The works complete key areas of the town centre and show how the rest of the town will look when complete over the coming weeks.

This work is part of the wider pedestrianisation scheme for the town centre, which will see it transformed into a new safer public space with one-level paving to eradicate long-running safety concerns, as well as new street furniture, Wi-Fi hot spots, trees and new seating areas. This will create more opportunities for events and markets in the future, helping to encourage pedestrian movement around the centre, boost footfall and aiding the town’s recovery from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

The scheme so far has seen the installation of new disabled bays in Bank Street and the creation of a new southbound bus and cycle lane on Fairfield Road. Various works have continued during the pandemic including areas of old paving being lifted up and new areas of curbing and paving at the lower end of Bank Street and the High Street.

Braintree District Council (BDC) is progressing with the works were it is able to do so in order to continue to progress the project in phases across the town centre, and mitigate the impact on businesses as we bounce back from the current Covid lockdown.

BDC is in the final stages of selecting new contractors to finish the final stages of work which has started in the town centre and hoped to start on site early next month. The current site across the town centre has been made safe and is being closely monitored by Forrester Hughes, a local construction firm, until the contractor has been appointed and construction work resumes.

With various elements already complete and with a clear view on what areas need to be finished, the Council are confident the works will progress at pace across the town.

Once works resume, they will continue to be completed in a phased approach, with some elements completed soon after the contractor is on site. The aim is to finish the whole project by spring.

Councillor Tom Cunningham, Cabinet Member for Economic Development and Infrastructure, said: “We are really pleased with the new look outside Tesco. As an authority we remain committed to this scheme and we are working hard to get the construction work finished as quickly as possible in the town centre. The scheme has been in the pipeline for a long time and we know it’s what our residents and businesses want, and it will play a key part in our town centre bouncing back from the impacts of COVID-19. We will continue to keep residents and businesses updated with the progress, next steps and when the next phase of work will begin.”

The project is possible thanks to £2.95million partnership funding from Braintree District Council, Essex County Council and Department for Transport.

Residents and businesses can keep up to date on the progress of the project by:

Published: 16th March 2021