Mulberry Place will transform an area of backland plots into a vibrant network of new shopping streets and squares to complement the High Street offer.

Replacing the former backland car parks, the new public realm is a network of narrow walkways, formal promenades, public squares and informal meeting places which inter-connects with the High Street, encouraging circular patterns of movement and incidental encounters. Mulberry Place incorporates shops, a cinema, a new library/registry office and car parking. The east-west route links a sequence of contrasting areas, reflecting the characteristic intimacy of the historic area and encouraging a sense of secrecy and discovery. The area around the cinema has a relatively tight urban grain, but in the heart of the scheme, Orchard Walk provides a leafy, relaxing place to walk and meet with blocks of planting, cafe terraces, a water feature and seating steps, partially shaded by a grid of flowering trees.

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