WORK on a multi-million pound project to improve a city centre has begun.
High Street West, in Sunderland, is to get new paving, plants, signs, street furniture and lights, as part of a £3.5m scheme.
Traffic arrangements will also be changed, including waiting restrictions.
Sunderland City Council hopes to create a more welcoming pedestrian environment.
Lumsden and Carroll Civil Engineering started work on site this week.
Work will be phased, starting on the stretch from Bridge Street to Keel Square. Phase two will focus on High Street West past the Empire Theatre, to the junction with St Michael’s Way.
Councillor Mel Speding, the council’s cabinet secretary, said: “We’re working hard to improve the way Sunderland city centre looks and feels, to help make it more inviting and to add vibrancy.
“We’ve completed a lot of work, notably in Keel Square and St Mary’s Boulevard, and it’s time to extend that scheme into the wider area, starting with High Street West.
“It’s a key area for attracting more customer spend and private sector investment.”
For full details, visit sunderland.gov.uk/high-street-west
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