Work to begin ahead of city centre shopping revamp

Work to create a new shopping area in Leicester city centre will start in the new year, the city council has confirmed.

The authority approved a planning application to flatten two properties it owns on Green Dragon Square in December 2023, but work on the project has yet to begin.

The aim of the £2.6m project is to create a public space to connect the square to the St Martin's area.

City mayor Sir Peter Soulsby said one of the reasons work had not yet commenced was so that the original approved plans could be modified.

The council owns numbers 12, 14, 16, 18 and 20 and intended to remove two and refurbish and let out the rest.

"One of the things that has led to a pause on this is how wide we make the gap," Soulsby said.

"We have the option of taking down more of the buildings than we first envisaged.

"That could create a more flexible space. Those buildings are redundant and they won't be missed."

One of the ideas proposed was to place shipping containers in the newly created space as pop-up retail units for independent businesses.

The mayor said he was still open to the idea but added: "The use of the space is almost a second-order issue.

"What I am keen to do is get that route through the area opened up and, with that in mind, the demolition will begin early in the new year.

"That new route will complement the one we created on the other side of Green Dragon Square to connect it to Town Hall Square."

Soulsby said the council was still interested in talking to potential developers who could create the retail units.

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