IMAGES have revealed what a busy road that leads to Windsor Castle will soon look like as pedestrianisation works move closer.

The first phase of public realm improvements in Castle Hill and St Alban’s Street in Windsor Town Centre is set to begin from Monday, March 13, which sees wider pavements and vehicular gates.

This is in a bid to improve the visitor experience to this area of town, helping to drive economic growth and spend, as well as provide additional safety benefits.

Works will begin on the northern castle side of Castle Hill and will run until around May, with no work taking place during the Coronation Bank Holiday weekend.

During this phase, the Yorkstone pavement will be retained, cleaned, and repaired if necessary and the road surface will be replaced with a granite block finish. Access to Henry VIII gate and the advance gate will be retained.

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A temporary one-way system up Castle Hill down and down St Alban’s Street will be in place so that residential properties can still be accessed, and will remain in place during the works.

Vehicles making deliveries will be unable to stop and unload in Castle Hill during the work and drivers will instead need to park in nearby Thames Street, or High Street, or use the existing loading bays in Church Lane and Queen Charlotte Street.

Cllr Phil Haseler, lead member for highways, said these works will result in a “vast improvement” at the busy junction.

He said: “We want to improve the visitor experience in this area, thereby encouraging dwell time and increasing the number of people supporting our local businesses in the historic heart of our borough. I hope these changes lead to an increase in the amount of visitor spend within the town, benefiting businesses and the local economy.

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“While I understand that any significant change to our highways network can bring some temporary disruption for road users and businesses in the vicinity, we strive to keep this to a minimum, and will be keeping residents and businesses updated as this project proceeds.”

Once the first wave is completed, another three will take place. Once completed, the road will include a protective gate behind the Queen Victoria statue to aid pedestrian safety, with bollards installed at the end of St Alban’s Street at its junction with Castle Hill, with two-way vehicle access from the junction with Park Street.

A summer pause has been incorporated into the programme with, ideally, no works taking place during most of July and August.

In total, the improvements could cost about £1.5m, but a majority of funding has come from the Thames Valley Berkshire Local Enterprise Partnership, as well as developer contributions.