Town centre businesses in Cheltenham can have their say on the future look of the High Street and Promenade at a dedicated session on Tuesday 7 July. The drop‑in event, running from 5pm to 7pm, is a joint effort by Cheltenham BID, Cheltenham Borough Council and Gloucestershire County Council to gather views on street design, paving, lighting, trees, signage, seating and accessibility.
The business briefing forms part of a six‑week public engagement programme that launched on 8 June and runs until 20 July. Fran Inman, chief executive of Cheltenham BID, said: “Cheltenham’s High Street and Promenade are the heartbeat of the town and are used by thousands of people every day.” The BID represents almost 800 levy‑paying businesses in the town centre, all of which are encouraged to attend and contribute ideas on how to improve the public realm.
No additional funding is currently in place for the works, so any future projects will need to focus on maximum impact rather than expensive, bespoke materials. The engagement follows a renewal ballot in October 2025, which gave the BID a third five‑year term starting in April 2026. A design toolkit published in June already set out a vision to turn the high street from a place people pass through into somewhere they choose to spend time.
The initiative is deliberately separate from other town centre debates. The redevelopment of Cavendish House, pedestrianisation of Clarence Corner, homelessness, Royal Well and car parking are all explicitly off the table. Once feedback is gathered, findings will later be applied to Montpellier as a next phase.
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