The Market Town Welcome project will help the town and its tourism businesses to develop a strong identity for Alnwick. The work will be tailored to fit with the emerging plans for investment and improvements arising from the Alnwick Retail Distinctiveness Project, the Alnwick Civic Society Streetscape report and the Trust's Townscape Report (all of these documents are available to download from this website).

The Trust is working on the delivery of two areas of the Townscape report, Stonewell Lane and Greenwell Lane. The Trust, together with Gentoo Ventures and Alnwick District Council, have agreed to work in partnership on improvements to Stonewell Lane which is the pedestrian footpath adjacent to Morrisons which links Lagny Street and Fenkle Street. The path is presently closed for safety reasons, but uncertainty over the Gentoo development has raised concerns about the length of time this closure might last.

This path is an important entrance to the town centre and is used by visitors walking from the long stay car park in Lagny Street and by residents living to the west of the town.

The entrance to Stonewell Lane footpath is not obvious to visitors and at present, people using the footpath have to negotiate some dozen steps and then a steep slope. The plan is to redesign the western end to accommodate a footpath alongside the steps and to raise the level of the footpath to make access easier for pedestrians from the west. Also planned is a widening of the access and the installation of a decorative entrance arch which will make the entrance clearer and more welcoming for visitors. It is also hoped that the new footpath will increase the footfall in Fenkle Street and help to regenerate that area of town.

The Trust is in the process of securing 50% of the funding for the project from Northumberland Strategic Partnership and ONE North East as part of the Market Town Welcome initiative. The remaining costs will be met by Gentoo Ventures and Local Transport Plan funding. Gentoo Ventures are in the process of taking measurements of the levels and assessing how the design can be accommodated with their proposed development. They will then discuss the proposals with Alnwick District Council Planners and Engineers with a view to commencing and completing the work as quickly as possible.
The Trust is delighted that Gentoo Ventures, who are already involved in major developments in Alnwick, have agreed to give their expertise and financial help with the project. We also appreciate the tremendous support received from Alnwick District Council. This is another example of how partnership working can make a real difference in improving the town.

Greenwell Lane is the second area that the Trust is working to improve. Again, the current entrance is not obvious to visitors and the changes will make the access to the town centre clearer. It is hoped that both of these areas will be completed by the spring of 2009.

For more information download the Townscape report from this website and visit the Market Town Welcome Website or contact Anne Shilton on 01665 606093