Gateway to Carlisle in line for revamp

One of the main gateways into Carlisle is in line to be transformed with a £2million revamp.

At its next meeting on Tuesday (February 2) Cumbria County Council’s cabinet will be asked to give approval for developing plans that will give the Court Square area outside the railway station a major facelift.

Court Square serves as the main access to the station and is one of the first views of Carlisle the many people arriving in the city by train will see. Currently there is no obvious safe pedestrian route from the city to the station and pedestrians can come into conflict with vehicles using the pick-up/drop off facility and the short term station parking.

Concept designs for the revamp are currently being produced and detailed designs will follow if the scheme is approved by cabinet and funding secured. Designs feature a new location for the pick-up/drop-off facility and moving the short term and disabled parking to the main entrance of the station car park.

This will create a designated pedestrianised area in front of the station that will make a clearer and safer route between the station and Carlisle city centre for people on foot. Improved landscaping is also being designed to make the area more attractive.

Cumbria County Council is working with Carlisle City Council and Carlisle Renaissance to implement the scheme.

The square itself is owned by Network Rail and leased to Virgin Trains and the Citadel gardens, which are part of the scheme, are owned by the county council. Network Rail and Virgin Trains both support plans for the revamp.

Councillor Tony Markley, Cumbria County Council’s cabinet member for the economy, said: “As this area is the first part of Carlisle that many visitors will see when arriving in the city by train, how it looks makes a lasting impression.

“At the moment it doesn’t act as an impressive gateway into the city for the many thousands of visitors who pass through the railway station every year.

“Tourism is important to the economy of Carlisle and of course to Cumbria as a whole, so making a lasting impression on people when they arrive is vital.”

The Court Square cabinet paper can be found online.