Hoardings have been installed around parts of Crewe town centre set to be demolished in the Royal Arcade development.
The site will be developed and provide a multi-screen cinema, new bus station, multi-storey car park and retail units.
Demolition work on existing commercial units off Queensway and Victoria Street is likely to start in the summer, the authority said.
And more decorative boards will be erected to showcase artwork by local artists and community groups.
A Cheshire East Council spokesperson said: “Hoardings surrounding the Royal Arcade development site have been put up to prepare for building survey works.
“The hoardings will provide further information about the proposed development and a supplier will be selected in the coming weeks to add decorative boards.
“These will showcase temporary creative interventions by local artists and community groups, in partnership with the Crewe Cultural Forum.
“Demolition of the former commercial units, located off Queensway and Victoria Street, will begin later this year following satisfactory survey assessments.”
William Warrack, Director of Cordwell Property Group, development managers for Peveril Securities, said: “This significant step of the hoardings enclosing the site is a real milestone on the scheme and a sure sign that progress has been made.”
Cllr Nick Mannion, Cheshire East Council cabinet member for environment and regeneration, said: “The Royal Arcade scheme is part of Crewe’s wider regeneration strategy.
“The hoardings will provide creative opportunities for regional talent, utilising the space whilst work is underway to develop the site.”
The town centre has effectively moved to the retail park,bad planning years ago,it was far to close to the centre of Crewe and from an acess point of view terrible.
The only way any regeneration is going to succeed is to close the retail park and provide the shops that operate from there a new shopping centre in the middle of Crewe to move back to.
The footfall is there in Crewe, but is currently all at the retail park.
The retail park could then be used more as a dinning area,most of the units already are food based
In 2006 the town centre was being redeveloped and all new shops and nothing came of that.
Don’t really see the point now.
Why are they proposing to build a new cinema in the town centre when Crewe already have one that nobody goes to? Absolute waste of money, what crewe needs is a Primark and shops that the younger generation will use like the retail park….come on local council, wakey wakey