Lyceum Square – Ly²
Objective: Heritage & Culture, Town Centre Regeneration
Current status: In progress
Location of project: Lyceum Square, Crewe Town Centre, CW1 2DA
Initial cost (build): £750k Accelerated funding from Towns Fund MHCLG plus £64k contribution from Crewe Town Council.
Timings: Spring 2022
Lead organisation: Cheshire East Council in partnership with Crewe Town Council Crewe Lyceum and Crewe Cultural Forum.
Problem
Under-used and unattractive public space in the town centre.
Solution
To reimagine Lyceum Square as a new high quality outdoor events and performance space, with public art commissions, creative maker spaces and enhanced lighting scheme delivering an attractive and much improved town centre environment.
Ly² is a transformational improvement scheme which will focus on Lyceum Square and its adjoining areas in Crewe’s town centre.
The Town Board was awarded £750,000 funding for the scheme came as an accelerated grant from the Towns Fund. The project is intended to bring physical enhancements to Lyceum Square and its adjoining areas.
As well as the natural enhancement of the immediate area, the scheme’s aims are to encourage footfall into the town centre, support the offer of Crewe Market Hall, and to create an outdoor space where festivals and special open-air events can be held.
The plans for the scheme, which were originally put forward by the Crewe Cultural Forum, also feature proposals to develop part of the outdoor market shed area – currently not in use – into a ‘creative centre’, with shipping containers and cabin units providing a base for small emerging businesses and artists to collaborate and exhibit their work.
Colourful and multi-functional street furniture and improvements to key gateways into the square, including the installation of overhead lighting, floor graphics and a wall mural, are also proposed.
The development will provide economic regeneration opportunities for small businesses and will have a significantly positive impact to the vitality of the town centre.
The vision for Ly² was developed by the Crewe Cultural Forum – a collaboration of more than 100 residents, organisations, and businesses in Crewe.
The project is being delivered by Cheshire East Council and overseen by Crewe Town Board. It is also being supported by Crewe Town Council. This project is part of the overall £3.6bn Towns Fund.
“Crewe is people-powered and this project recognises and builds on the collective ambitions of local people as expressed through the work of the Crewe Cultural Forum, via the Lyceum’s creative engagement programme and through successful destination events like WaveField, trAction and LUMEN.“
Adam Knight, Director of Crewe Lyceum Theatre