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August 1, 2025
Work to improve the appearance of Goole Town Centre will start next month, as part of the £3.1m Public Realm project.
Public Realm is one of eight projects allocated a share of Goole’s £25 million Town Deal funding from the Government. The Public Realm project will refresh the town centre with new hard and soft landscaping and seating, as well as making signage and the type of materials used more consistent. It also aims to provide public spaces to be enjoyed, promote walking and cycling and improve connectivity between key buildings and locations. Public Realm is closely linked to the £2.4 million Station Hub project, which will support Goole’s growth and an anticipated increase in the number of station users by enhancing the arrival/departure experience and providing a more appealing environment at the town’s railway station. The hugely popular Goole + Howden Hopper bus service, which launched last year, also forms part of the wider Station Hub project. Due to start in September, the first phase of the project will focus on the main pedestrianised precinct, Estcourt Terrace and North Street.
In the pedestrianised precinct, new paving will be installed, existing paving will be repaired and restored, the existing trees will be surrounded by attractive new planting areas and seating, new feature lighting will be added and new artwork will be installed to celebrate Goole’s heritage and mark its Bicentenary year in 2026. The scheme has been designed to support business operators, both now and in the future, and also reflects the way that many towns across the UK are reinventing their role and purpose, with an emphasis on services, hospitality and experiences. Close attention has been paid to reinstating seating areas in the town centre to create public spaces that people want to enjoy and spend time in.
The work on Estcourt Terrace will enhance the look and feel of the area around the town’s Market Hall and also focus on the busy highway crossing point towards Carlisle Street. This part of the project will not involve a pedestrianisation scheme but has been designed in a way that aims to improve connectivity around the town for pedestrians by emphasising that the crossing point is used by both vehicles and pedestrians. On North Street, the works will improve, repair and restore the pavements and highway, and enhance the appearance of the Aire Street junction. Construction work has been carefully timetabled for each address area. In some places work will take only a matter of days, but in other areas more significant work will take longer. A second phase of work is due to get underway later this year, and will focus on Paradise Place and the area around Goole’s railway station. This will include the installation of new paving and street furniture to complement the activities of Junction Goole, following design consultation with Goole Town Council. It also aims to support and stimulate business activity in this area of the town, both now and in the future.
Work around Goole Station will involve enhancements to its appearance, which have been designed to improve the experience of station users and connectivity with the pedestrianised area of Boothferry Road. Following the completion of the infrastructure work that Network Rail is currently carrying out on both subways, the project will improve the appearance of the subway closest to the railway station by adding new surfaces and lighting. There will also be new safety measures to deter people from cycling through the subway, and make stepping down from the access steps leading to and from the station platform safer. The project should be completed in full by spring 2026. Consultation meetings have been held with businesses in areas where the first phase of work will take place. Those responsible for delivering the project are keen to minimise disruption to the town’s business operators, so wanted to understand their day-to-day operational needs. A drop-in consultation event at Goole Library gave both businesses and residents in the phase one area an opportunity to view the technical plans, and discuss the finer details of work taking place outside their properties and the impact of any temporary road closures.
However, full access will be retained for businesses for the entire duration of the project. Further consultation events for the second phase of work will take place are planned for September. Breheny Civil Engineering Ltd has been appointed as the main contractor for the Public Realm project by East Riding of Yorkshire Council. Breheny will provide a Public Liaison Officer, who will work closely with the local business community to keep people informed of progress and help to resolve any issues. Representatives of East Riding of Yorkshire Council are already working with businesses that have outdoor trading licenses to discuss temporary alternatives and options, where appropriate. Phil Jones, chairman of the Goole Town Deal Board, said: “We recognise that there will be some disruption to local businesses and residents in the areas of the town centre where delivery of the Public Realm project is taking place, but every effort will be made to keep this to a minimum. The delivery team has already had some really positive conversations with local business owners, and will continued to liaise and work with them closely. “To complement this collective effort to enhance the look and feel of the town centre, a multi-agency approach is being encouraged to help build a greater sense of pride in our town centre. This means tackling anti-social behaviour, and taking a zero-tolerance approach to criminal damage of public assets and spaces.” (14-8-101 SU) (14-8-102 SU)