Plans unveiled for urban park near Fleetwood Market and Museum

The consultation, held by Wyre Council, starts today (Thursday May 20) and will be held until Sunday June 6.

Plans will be available to view in person at Fleetwood Market s outdoor area on Tuesday, May 25, or they can be viewed online here.The plans, designed by Landscape Projects, outline a new "Custom House Square" on the area of Custom House Car Park, which overlooks Fleetwood Market in Victoria Street.

It is hoped that the space will "bring a breath of fresh air to the area," the council said, with new lighting, seating, plus additional street trees and planting.

Extra room to hold occasional small events is also part of the plans, and they look to keep existing trees in place, along with the same number of accessible car parking spaces.

The existing pay and display car park currently has 103 spaces, including 14 disabled parking spaces, and costs £2 for up to three hours of parking.

The project is being made possible by Historic England’s Heritage Action Zone scheme, which aims to fuel economic, social and cultural recovery to a select number of high streets in the country.

The scheme supports projects that will transform disused and dilapidated buildings into homes, shops, work places and community spaces.

The new square will complement work to enhance the area and attract shoppers to the market and the new outdoor market area.

In the future, Fleetwood Museum visitors using the car park will also be encouraged to use the square as a route from which to access a proposed new entrance off Custom House Lane, the council added.

The square will also complement work to "improve historic buildings in the area and help draw residents and visitors to the town."

Residents can submit comments about the proposals online here until Sunday June 6, or visit a drop-in event with the designers on Tuesday May 25 at Fleetwood Market (outdoor area).

Feedback from the consultation period will be considered when detailed designs are developed and a follow-up exercise is planned for summer 2021 in advance of construction this winter.