Redevelopment of entrances to Highcross Shopping Center in Leicester approved

Plans to redevelop four entrances to a shopping center in Leicester have been approved.

The new designs for Highcross Shopping Center were revealed in October when proposals were submitted to the city council.

Property company Savills, which was appointed liquidator of Highcross Shopping Center Ltd in February 2023, said the proposed designs would “highlight the town’s cultural heritage” and improve the centre’s visibility.

The authority approved the plans on Tuesday, with planning officers praising the proposals.

In their published decision, planning officers said the new designs reflected the “context of the immediate surroundings and the wider architectural character and heritage” of the town in a way that the previous entrances “did not”.

Savills previously said the entrances – in East Gates, High Street, Church Gate and Bond Street – would be “redesigned” to celebrate the city's “vibrant fashion and textile heritage”.

Due to its booming textile industry, Leicester was once considered one of the richest cities in Europe.

Savills said the design of each entrance would “reflect the textures and shapes known throughout fashion, including a 'catwalk', a curtain opening and a twisted fold”.

Work to replace the entrances is expected to begin in the spring and take approximately six months.