The tarmac will be torn up and trees will be planted to create an entrance to Huntingdon that is much more pleasing to the eye.

This artist’s impression gives an idea of how the pedestrian island outside the Old Bridge Hotel could soon look as part of a scheme being developed by BID Huntingdon.

And it’s not just this area that’s in for a spruce up – the group has also successfully petitioned Network Rail into giving a facelift to the Iron Bridge over Ermine Street and Stukeley Road.

BID Huntingdon chairman, Graham Campbell, said: “To have such a poorly maintained and scruffy bridge on one of the main gateways into the town was bad for the town’s image. The Huntingdon and Godmanchester Civic Society tried to get some action on this in the 1990s without success, so BID Huntingdon really has won a long-fought battle to persuade Network Rail to renovate the bridge.”

While the work on the East Coast Main Line railway bridge, which will include refurbishment and an upgrade, is likely to take place within the next 12 months, the work to the south of the town will happen sooner.

BID has worked with district, town and county councils as well as the Old Bridge Hotel to move its improvements forward. The tarmac will be dug up and the area converted into a landscaped site to “provide an attractive pedestrian and cycle link from the High Street to Riverside Park as well as marking the historic entrance into the town from the ancient town bridge”.

“Once we have the site properly landscaped it is hoped we can start working with the councils to look at ways to improve the pedestrian and cycle paths into the town centre on this significant access route,” added Mr Campbell.

The next step is to finalise engineering details and a safety audit before putting the work out to tender.