How is Runcorn's station piazza shaping up?
An aerial view of the piazza construction site. (Picture: HBC)  With construction of the Runcorn Station Quarter piazza well under way, In Your Area (IYA) visited the site to find out how its taking shape and to glean clues about how it might look once completed. The piazza, or public square, lies directly outside Runcorn Station and is intended to create a welcoming view for rail passengers and tempt them into exploring the town centre. When IYA visited the area, the site was abuzz with the sounds of clanging and banging equipment and workers and views of stripped ground and stacked construction materials. Where a small roundabout previously stood outside the station, the ground was now a mixture of bare cleared earth and small sections of completed paving - showing a mix of shaded brick from pale to dark grey. What looked like large stippled two-foot bricks were also stacked up. Some sections of ground were freshly paved and tarmacked. Much of the area remains fenced off, including Waterloo Bridge at Top Locks. Although much of the site is fenced off, enough remains open to the public to give an idea of how it might look once completed. (Pictures: Mix of Runcorn Weekly News and HBC)  A Halton Borough Council spokeswoman told IYA the piazza is due to be completed by the end of the year, with other Station Quarter redevelopment works continuing in the area. The project is part of a wider regeneration programme for the town centre, which could include the construction of a boat lift and visitor centre to link Runcorn, Cheshire, to a canal loop to encourage more narrow boat visitors. Its also hoped that land clearance works in the Station Quarter will provide a catalyst for the opening of offices, restaurants and other amenities. Its construction was made possible by the opening of the Mersey Gateway bridge, which allowed the Silver Jubilee Bridge to shut and a large concrete flyover outside Runcorn Station to be demolished, thus creating a more open view. It also enabled the construction of a town centre roundabout - already completed - providing easier access around the road network. Runcorn's Station Quarter is being funded by 20m of Liverpool City Region cash. Halton Council's hopes of receiving up to 25m in Future High Streets Fund cash to further drive the town centre's revival were dashed when the area was snubbed by the Government in December. It remains to be seen if the local authority's bid for up to 25m from the Government's Towns Fund will be successful. IYA understands that although Runcorn did not feature in the most recent announcement of Town Deal funding, the council is keeping its hopes alive that the bid could be backed in a future announcement.