THIS is how Fisherton Street could look if the city gets a cash boost towards new projects aimed at attracting tourists into Salisbury.

Although currently still an artistic impression – which Wiltshire Council says is very much subject to change, the image produced by the authority is part of a proposal for cash from the government’s Future High Streets Fund, supported by Salisbury City Council and Salisbury BID.

This plan includes initiatives to make the area into a gateway for the city, by transforming the “arrival experience” at the rail station, creating an interactive app that will provide users with information if pointed at certain parts of the city, and, as pictured, a “spectacular outdoor visitor light attraction” named Illuminating Salisbury, which will tell the stories of the city’s “rich heritage”.

The latter, dubbed a major new tourist attraction, will be projected at several as yet unnamed locations at dusk and night.

The council’s proposal added: “This potential new attraction will create a hub of visitor activity in the evening and nighttime economy, accelerating growth and job creation through increasing the dwell time of visitors.

“It would attract both new and repeat trips and encourage longer stays by converting day trips into overnight and giving confidence to investment from higher value hotel and restaurant businesses.”

Other ideas to be put forward as part of the bid includes creating modern city centre apartments that will appeal to young people, build a group of small artisan retail/leisure and workspace units to create a lively food/beverage offer to attract visitors into the evening, and also to improve the road and pedestrian access to the city to make it safer and easier to access.

However, the council adds that there is no guarantee of funding and each project will be judged by the government against other areas.

The council’s next task will be to create a full business case for each proposal. No cash value has been revealed for the projects.

Pauline Church, the authority’s South Wiltshire Recovery chief, said: “We are really excited about these potential projects which will help to transform Salisbury’s high streets into thriving, modern, connected areas whilst improving our retail, residential, employment, culture and tourism offer.

“We will be able to share our plans on some of these projects later this year and will be confirming dates for both stakeholder and public engagement soon. We are continuing to develop these projects and our business case so that we are in the strongest position possible to ensure our bid is successful and Salisbury has a strong and vibrant future.”

The council says consultation details will be released soon.

THE COUNCIL'S PROPOSALS IN FULL

Station Quarter

This project will initiate work to transform the arrival experience at Salisbury’s rail station. The first phase will deliver an enhanced transport interchange and improved wayfinding to encourage the 2 million station visitors onto Salisbury’s high street and contribute to restoring the performance of the high street.

Gateway to the City

Fisherton Street is Salisbury’s shop window to the world. Funding will enable us to deliver a new welcoming entrance to the city that allows the street to flourish, both on its own as a centre of a diverse range of independent shops, and as a link to other main retail and cultural areas in the city.

Investments in lighting, signage and building frontages will change the current underwhelming first impression caused by narrow pavements, poor wayfinding, heavy traffic, harsh landscaping and weak links to the city’s natural and heritage assets. An enlarged river crossing and open space will connect the river to the city centre. Highways and structural enhancements will improve connectivity.

This project would contribute to the development of the Cultural Quarter, which is currently cut off from the high street and this project would open up the quarter onto Fisherton Street creating a link to the city centre and supporting the evening economy.

Heritage high street living

We are proposing the creation of modern city centre apartments that will appeal to young people, in the disused upper floors and backs of listed buildings.

We want this project to showcase methods of construction, design, conservation and planning, and the balancing of conservation and commercial interests. It would be our intention to work with public and private organisations to roll out this concept across the city.

Artisan Arcade: Live/Make/Sell

We are developing an exciting concept to create a cluster of small artisan retail/leisure and workspace units, as well as residential space.

People will live, train, work, sell and play from day into evening, all within one site. The Artisan Arcade concept provides a choice of live/work spaces to suit artisans and start-ups at different stages of their lifecycles, enabling progression from maker space and start-up units to workshops and larger retail. A lively food/beverage offer will attract visitors into the evening.

Illuminating Salisbury, a major new tourist attraction

A spectacular outdoor visitor light attraction that will illuminate the stories of Salisbury’s rich heritage. It would take place from dusk to night in several locations.

This potential new attraction will create a hub of visitor activity in the evening and night time economy, accelerating growth and job creation through increasing the dwell time of visitors. It would attract both new and repeat trips and encourage longer stays by converting day trips into overnight and giving confidence to investment from higher value hotel and restaurant businesses.

Salisbury Accessibility Project

An integrated programme of highways and structural improvements in the road network and public realm to make it easier, safer and more convenient to travel into the city centre from and beyond the ring road.

Residents and visitors could benefit from safer pedestrian and cycle routes, bus prioritisation, prioritising non-motorised transport along some gateway routes, reduction of traffic in the city centre through traffic management measures and pedestrianisation, improvements to the five Park and Ride services, and improved wayfinding through increased legibility of streets and improved signage as well as improving the car parking experience.