Castle Hill
Public realm scheme
The public realm scheme has been delivered to improve the overall experience and safety of residents and visitors in Windsor town centre. The scheme will help to drive economic growth and spend, as well as provide additional safety benefits.
What we did
The public realm improvements in Castle Hill and St Alban’s Street have seen Castle Hill partially pedestrianised with a wider pavement on the southern (shops) side of the road. There has also been a significant reduction in vehicle movements where this is limited to castle access only during its visiting hours.
A protective gate has been installed behind the Queen Victoria statue to aid pedestrian safety, and bollards have also been installed at the end of St Alban’s Street with its junction with Castle Hill, with two-way vehicle access from the junction with Park Street.
Other elements of the project have included retaining, cleaning and repairing the existing Yorkstone pavement on the northern (castle) side of Castle Hill and replacing the road surface with a granite block finish and pedestrian walkways either side of the carriageway down St Alban’s Street. There are also crossing points to the castle visitor entrance at the junction of Castle Hill and St Alban’s Street and another at the junction of Church Lane and St Alban’s Street to the castle learning centre. New dropped kerbs and raised tables have helped to improve accessibility for those with mobility difficulties.
Project successes
The year-long project was delivered in phases in order to minimise disruption, with businesses and residents kept updated throughout the project. Access to businesses has been maintained with work taking place outside of opening hours where necessary.
During King Charles III’s Coronation, all activities paused, and materials were removed from the area to accommodate this high-profile event and media traffic. The business also assisted in the facilitation of the Coronation with road closures and cleansing.
“This project has transformed Castle Hill into a pedestrian first zone, helping to improve safety and make the area more accessible for those on foot, as well as driving growth in our local economy. We know that this area can be busy with pedestrians crossing, particularly during the peak summer tourist season, and that the previous pavements were narrow, and this scheme is a vast improvement.”
Councillor Geoff Hill Cabinet Member for highways and transport
