THE date of Bedford Place’s reopening has been pushed back by a day, with work to remove street art and bollards to start later this week.

Southampton City Council has confirmed that the road, which was due to reopen to traffic on Monday, will now open on Tuesday at 8am.

As reported, the road closure was first implemented last summer to support businesses during the pandemic – but it proved controversial.

Once elected in May, the new Conservative leadership vowed to remove the pedestrianised area, and a recent council survey found 57% of Bedford Place businesses were against the road closure.

And from Friday, work to begin that reopening will begin.

Contractors will start to get rid of the painted street art that currently covers Bedford Place. It had been created by local artists and designers, and funded by GO! Southampton.

This work will be done from 7.30am to 5pm

The Carlton Place section of street art will remain, it has been confirmed.

Then, on Sunday, a crane will be brought in to move the barriers aside. The council said this will be around 10.30pm once the local firms have closed. A road closure from the Grosvenor Square junction to Amoy Street will be in place from 8pm to 6am Monday.

The barriers will be moved to house in a number of suspended parking bays, the council says, which will “support” smaller venues who will be able to use the spaces to provide outdoor seating, as they had been doing with other bays throughout the closure. This will be done on a trial basis, the council added.

As well as this, existing painted barriers will be moved to the junction with Carlton Place to protect the ongoing pedestrianisation of this section.

Further work will then take place on Monday, with a lining crew brought in to paint in the new Zebra Crossing on Bedford Place between Carlton Place and Henstead Road. 

At the same time, temporary 20mph signs will be placed on frames along the route as part of a new speed limit trial. The council says these signs will be relocated onto lamp posts in the coming weeks.