Theatre Walk takes centre stage
SHOPPERS and businesses will see more improvements to Chorley town centre from the beginning of May as work starts on creating ‘Theatre Walk’ along the alley between Peter Street and Market Street.
The works, commissioned by Chorley Council as part of a £4million project to improve the public realm in the town centre, will see new paving, steps and a Theatre Walk sign over the alley to show people the way to Chorley Little Theatre.
It will be accompanied by Peter Wink street name plaques at either end of the alley to recognise the fact that many local people know the alley as that name. Additionally an information board will be installed at the Peter Street end which explains the origins of Peter Wink and the council is appealing for people to come forward with details of the history of this name.
Work is also ongoing on nearby Fazakerley Street with the old paving and street furniture taken out and replaced by new paving that will create a flatter surface allowing more space for market stalls and entertainment activities.
Councillor Alistair Bradley, Leader of Chorley Council, said: “Improving the public realm is an important part of the redevelopment of the town centre to attract more visitors and boost the local economy.
“Local people and businesses have been asking us to improve various parts of the town centre and Theatre Walk will help to signpost people to Chorley Little Theatre, which is a popular town centre attraction.
“It is also important to acknowledge local history and that is why we are incorporating the Peter Wink plaques and information board but we haven’t yet been able to discover why this alley is called that. If anyone has any information that could help us, please do get in touch.
“It’s also good to see that work on Fazakerley Street is progressing well. There does appear to be quite a bit of work and disruption in the town centre at the moment and we apologise for any inconvenience caused. However, once these works are complete, it will create a much more vibrant town centre to add to the already great appeal of Chorley.”
It is expected that the work on Theatre Walk will take around six weeks to complete while work on Fazakerley Street will be completed by the end of June.