Location of Benches

We have been getting a lot of enquiries about the location of benches, which we know are very important to a great many residents and visitors alike. The most frequent question at the moment is:

Why are benches being removed from the areas not being worked on?

The benches on the eastern side of the High Street have already been relocated and can now be found on Bath Street and outside of Boyes store (see plan in the Photos section for the location of all temporary benches across the High Street). The early relocation was necessary for several reasons:

• Works are already taking place on the eastern side of the High Street, outside the former Marks and Spencer and Goodwins site. By mid-September, these works will progress across towards Bath Street.
• The relocation across the entire eastern side of the High Street was necessary in preparation for a smaller area for the Friday market, with these benches being in the way of being able to continue with the full market away from the construction areas, which is essential to the long-term sustainability of the market itself, and, of course, the retail businesses for which market day is the busiest by far.
• As works progress across the eastern side, completed areas of the western side are being gradually released towards Dundas Street, providing additional areas for the market and pedestrians.

Did you know that these pages contain a long list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) which strive to answer the majority of questions we get asked regularly.