New look for West Bromwich High Street

The pedestrianised stretch of High Street between New Street and Bull Street will be transformed as part of an £8.2 million scheme to boost the appearance of the town centre.

As well as the central area being entirely repaved, plans for the refurbished shopping area include new lighting, waste bins, seating areas and trees.

The initiative is part of Sandwell Council's ongoing work to revitalise the heart of West Bromwich and links in with wider plans transform it into one of the region's premier towns.

To allow the work to take place, the canopy and kiosk that currently sits between King's and Queen's shopping centres will be removed this summer

The new entrance to Queen's Square Shopping Centre will then be built during the autumn and open in time for Christmas shopping.

New street paving, lighting, bins and trees will then be undertaken in the New Year with work on this section expected to be completed by summer 2013.

Councillor Derek Rowley, Sandwell Council's cabinet member for jobs and economy, said: "As you can see by the images, we are dedicated to improving appearance of West Bromwich town centre.

"The High Street is the heart of the town and this will not only support existing businesses, but help attract new ones as well."

The improvement work is part of the Public Realm project. As well as boosting the pedestrianised High Street, the £8.2 million scheme will create a new public square and boost links around Sandwell College, Providence Place, the Eastern Gateway and Dartmouth Park.

Sandwell Council and its partners won funding of £4.1 million from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) in April 2011 to match private sector investment on various regeneration projects in the town.