Timeline of improvements in Dunstable
The exact configuration of what services will be in the hub is still being worked on. We expect it to be a mixture of:
- GP services, and other medical services
- children’s services
- social care and support
- wellbeing and community mental health
- public health and prevention
- voluntary and carer support
- maybe a pharmacy and café
We've made improvements to Middle Row, Ashton Square, High Street South and Queensway. High Street North has been remodelled, the traffic light timings have changed and a four-way crossing has been installed at Church Street, West Street and Dunstable High Street.
We're planning to install a new artificial pitch at Creasey Park Community Football Centre, in Creasey Park Drive.
Thanks to funding support from the South East Midlands Local Enterprise Partnership with an allocation from the Local Growth Fund, works on the most visible phases are due to start.
Find out more about the further work on Dunstable High Street
The A5 being de-trunked allowed us to carry out and complete works on Dunstable High Street:
- removed railings
- installed new street lighting
- improved Middle Row
- improved Market Square
- laid wider pavements
The Dunstable Centre replaced the old leisure centre and library in the town with brand-new state-of-the-art facilities. By bringing a variety of services together under one roof, this fantastic new Dunstable Centre will reduce running costs, while providing more flexible services and longer opening hours.
After the A5 to M1 link opened, the A5 through Dunstable was 'de-trunked' to take heavy goods vehicles away from the town centre. This meant that a 7.5 tonne weight limit came into operation for Dunstable and surrounding areas. Now, only heavy goods vehicles delivering to the local area pass through Dunstable. The weight limit also helps reduce congestion and improve air quality. The A5 through Dunstable is now the A5183, and the A5120 became the B5120. As a result of this reclassification, the road through Dunstable town centre is no longer part of the Highways England road network and is now our responsibility.
The Woodside Link connects Houghton Regis and the Dunstable industrial estates to the M1 junction 11a. It opened to the public on 13 April, 2017. We have built the road to tackle current heavy traffic and poor air quality in the local towns and villages and to provide vital infrastructure ahead of its plans to bring future business and housing growth to the area.
The A5 to M1 link (Dunstable Northern Bypass) opened on 11 May 2017. It's a dual carriageway which connects the M1 at the new junction 11a north of Luton, to the A5 at Thorn Turn, north of Dunstable. It runs between the A5 (at Thorn Turn, just north of its existing junction with the A505) and the M1 at a new Junction 11A (to the south of the existing Toddington Motorway Services Area).
Priory View is a development consisting of 83 apartments, as well as a range of other facilities for the community and visitors, including:
- 5 recreational lounges
- a café
- bar and restaurant that is open to the public
- guest suites for resident occupiers
- an electric car club
- hair and nail unisex salon
- foot clinic
- rooftop garden
- spa therapy rooms
The Market Town Regeneration Fund initiatives had a lasting impact on the vibrancy and attractiveness of Dunstable’s town centre, improving perceptions of the town and delivering ongoing benefits for the growing and diversifying population of Dunstable.