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Praise for mural-filled city route to riverside

Charlotte Benton
BBC News, West Midlands
Tom Edwards
BBC Hereford & Worcester
BBC A walkway with brightly coloured red brick arches on the right. There is an open wooden box in the middle of the path, that could be for plants and silver bike racks on the left. The sky is blue in the background. BBC
The walkway will make the route from Worcester Foregate to the riverside "safer", according to the city council

City centre visitors "will no longer be greeted by the old chicken shop" following the opening of new walkway, a council leader said.

Instead, an "enticing route" will lead people to the riverside, Worcester City Council leader Lynn Denham added.

The former Jaqk's takeaway on Foregate Street, next to the railway bridge, has been demolished to make way for the path that features bright-coloured murals and planters.

The new route, part of the final phase of The Arches redevelopment project, was "more appealing and safer to use", the council said.

A bright-coloured mural decorated onto an archway under a railway bridge. The mural is made up of mainly, yellow, blue and orange pictures. The arch to the left of the mural is yet to be redeveloped and remains as open red-brick.
The city council says the plans for the two vacant arches will be announced soon

Matt Griffin, owner of Bikes on the Drive which is located on the Arches, said the pathway was a "huge transformation".

"It's been a bit of a nightmare with people often asking us for directions to get to places, but now they've made it open you can basically go from the river to the station at Foregate Street nice and easily."

He added that the change would also help business.

"We've always had decent footfall but now they've opened up it's only going to get better".

A man in a navy hoodie with a logo that reads "Bikes on the Drive". He is smiling into the camera and has short, dark hair. He is standing in an alleyway with a tall brick wall and is next to a blue van covered in white writing that reads "mobile cycle servicing and repairs".
Matt Griffin's business is based at The Arches, he says the new walkway will increase footfall.

Resident Amanda Cartwright doubted the development when it was announced as "there was already an alleway adjacent", however now the pathway had opened she said she felt "much safer".

"It's really open so as a young woman, especially with a young child, I'm happy about it because it's a lot more public than the old pathway."

The project, which was primarily paid for by the government's Cultural Development Fund, also included five arches that had already been redeveloped to create new spaces for creative enterprises.

The council added that proposals for the remaining two vacant arches would be announced soon.

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