The entrances of Highcross shopping centre are to be redeveloped following a decision by the city council. Planning officers have approved the scheme, which the shopping centre’s bosses said would “revitalise” and “enhance its visibility” in Leicester.
A Leicester City Council officer said the plan for the redesigned East Gates entrance, between Lush and Urban Outfitters, had taken into consideration the “context of the immediate area and the wider architectural character and heritage of the city of Leicester”, something they said the “previous entrance did not”. Planning documents submitted last year showed that the new design of the East Gates entrance, which is the centre’s busiest, would be based on the concept of a ‘curtain reveal’.
The redesigned Church Gate and New Bond Street entrances will be moulded to look like “folded pleats of a skirt”. A plan to change the design of the High Street entrance, which has the second highest footfall, to one which replicates the look of a “red carpet” being unrolled is yet to be decided.
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An artist’s impression of how the High Street could look
(Image: Highcross)
The planning officers said the redesigns would add a “contemporary style” to the area, and had “references to the historic context” of Leicester. The officer recommended that Highcross management submit details of the materials for the refurbished entrances to ensure that a “benchmark of quality” was maintained throughout the process.
Planning documents, prepared on behalf of Highcross, called the existing entrances “bland”, with a presence that “[failed] to resonate with the city’s diverse urban fabric”. The canopy and signage of the East Gates entrance were called “unclear and inadequate”, which meant that it was “difficult to identify and navigate while competing with the surrounding heritage assets”, such as nearby Grade II-listed buildings.
The plan for the High Street entrance is to demolish the existing structure. At the other three entrances, “alterations” will be made to what exists currently. Highcross bosses said they believed High Street’s current signage, canopy and “entrance mall” made it “feel out of place compared to the architectural quality of the High Street”.
The Church Gate entrance was described as currently having “a detrimental impact on the surrounding conservation area”. The New Bond Street way into and out of the centre was said to “present a neutral / minor level of harm on the conservation area”.
The redevelopment will be carried out in phases “so that shoppers will face minimal disruption”, a Highcross spokeswoman said. It is expected to take approximately six months to complete.
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