Pershore High Street Enhancement Project

This scheme was completed in 2009.

Why were the works carried out?

Pershore is situated on the River Avon and is an unspoiled, picturesque Market Town, famed for its elegant Georgian architecture and magnificent Abbey. It is surrounded by beautiful countryside and picturesque villages and is a haven for cyclists and ramblers. Many of the buildings along Bridge Street and Broad Street are listed.

In 2006 a large number of recorded personal injury collisions occurred along the length of the High Street. More importantly, the majority of casualties were vulnerable road users: pedestrians and cyclists.

A critical cause of accidents and impact upon movement was identified as the inconsistency of road widths along the length of the route (varying between 8 and 12 metres wide in places!) This lack of continuity caused cyclists (in particular) to be forced into the path of moving vehicles at narrower sections. Similar inconsistency in the width of footpaths was causing major movement issues in the town centre, making the route less attractive for pedestrians, wheelchair users and pushchairs to circulate freely: something had to be done!

The Pershore High Street Enhancement Scheme included a major re-design of the High Street corridor to improve the range of facilities provided for users, ensuring that the accessibility of this critical public space was maintained and enhanced for residents and visitors alike.

The project had a core aim to make use of innovative design solutions to address road safety and traffic management issues to deliver against the following objectives:

• Lowering traffic speeds
• Reducing pollution
• Improving attractiveness
• Increasing safety
• Providing extra parking for the disabled
• Deterring ‘through’ freight movements
• Promoting economic activity (particularly tourism) to enhance the sustainability of the town

How was the scheme financed?

The scheme was financed using Local Transport Plan funding, with contributions from Wychavon District Council and Pershore Town Council.

What has been achieved?

The Pershore High Street Enhancement Project included the following enhancements:

• New surfacing/path widening, to enable road width consistency and predictability
• Replacement of Victorian drainage system
• Innovative path design/cobble-like block paving
• Traffic management measures including parking/loading restrictions and segregated parking
• Implementation and enforcement of on-street parking regulations
• New street furniture including seating, signage and heritage lighting
• Paved features to enhance opportunities for café culture and
• outdoor activities and improving the setting of historic features
• Central refuges
• New pelican crossings
• Re-routing of buses to alleviate ‘shunting’ in high footfall areas

These measures have delivered the following benefits:

• Reduction in traffic speeds to 20mph
• 20% reduction in through-traffic
• Reduction in traffic pollution by 2%
• No recorded KSI accidents since the completion of the scheme
• 50% increase in parking for the disabled

Then and now

The following pictures show some 'before and after' photographs of the scheme:

Pershore High Street Before

Pershore High Street After