Penrith Town Council is asking for your thoughts on its plan to replace the towns interpretation and pedestrian directional signage with new signs costing almost £200,000 to replace.
The Town Council is already awarding a contract for production
and installation of town council plans for a £196,116 town centre signage
replacement project, despite only just opening a short public consultation on
the designs and plans for the town council Wayfinding and Interpretation
Project.
The town council submitted a proposal for a share of the
£3million Borderlands growth funding allocated for Penrith to specifically
replace and upgrade interpretation and pedestrian directional signage
throughout the town centre.
The scheme, known as the Penrith Wayfinding and
Interpretation Project, will replace current wayfinding signage installed in
2012 as part of a previous town branding and streetscape scheme. The council
has described the current signage that has been part of the town street scene
for just 13 years as “outdated and poor-quality” and claims that replacing it
will lead to a 5% annual uplift in both visitor footfall and retail turnover,
as well as improvements to the physical appearance of the town centre.
Although final designs and content of the signs still need
to be agreed, the proposed signs will include updated directional signs,
walking route maps, and the interpretation boards that the town council has
said will highlight Penrith’s history, culture, and local landmarks.
The town council said “Draft designs have been developed
taking into account comments and suggestions made by residents and visitors to
the town” but the Borderlands Growth
Board, which oversees the release of funds, told the town council it must carry
out further consultation with residents, businesses, and stakeholders before
funding can be accessed. Forcing the town council in order to meet an
obligation of the grant funding to open the consultation asking for views on
the designs.
But you don’t have long to give your thoughts and views as
the closing date for responses to the town council consultation is Friday 15
August 2025 at 5pm.
You can give your thoughts by completing a short online
survey: Click here to view town council survey or email:
deputytownclerk@penrithtowncouncil.gov.uk
There are also paper copy survey forms available from the
Penrith Library which can be returned to the Penrith Town Council office on
Friargate.
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