A £1 million project to transform the area around Stoke Railway Station is underway.
Work has officially started on the project to upgrade streets near the city's main train station as part of wider, multi-million pound plans to revolutionise public transport in the city.
Over the next five months Winton Square and Station Road, in Shelton, will be transformed with new trees, yorkstone paving, benches and new kerbs and bollards.
According to , the project was originally due to cost £741,000 but this has increased to £1.094 million.
It is being jointly funded by the first tranche of the Department for Transport’s Transforming Cities Fund and Stoke-on-Trent City Council.
Councillor Daniel Jellyman, cabinet member for regeneration, infrastructure and heritage at Stoke-on-Trent City Council, said: "The train station is a key gateway to the city and provides the first or last impression of Stoke-on-Trent for many visitors.
"Winton Square with its listed buildings and the Grade II listed train station itself are naturally very pleasing on the eye, and we are lucky to have such an architecturally impressive station area.
"The work will improve the overall appearance of the area, tidy the layout of Winton Square with better seating for the public and improve the connection between the station and University Quarter.
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"The new trees will be put in specially designed trenches where they should be able to thrive and grow.
“We are in unprecedented times due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, and we are continually reacting to the latest government guideline for construction works.
"The health and safety of workers and the public is our number one priority and all the necessary risk assessments have been carried out for this work to take place in a safe manner.
"The funding for this work was secured last year and it’s important we continue to move forward with projects which are going to improve the city and support the economy in the long-term.
"These initial improvements are the lead into the future phases of work we hope to be able to carry out in the area."