A £180,000 project to enhance Okehampton Town Centre is well under way.
Contractors began work to widen pavements in Fore Street last week and this will be followed by the creation of loading bays and disabled parking spaces.
The project is expected to take ten weeks to complete and will include improving crossing points, installing street lighting and bus stops and a new footbridge at the Ockment Centre.
Devon County Council has joined forces with West Devon Borough Council to deliver the project which will also see landscaping work outside the Hot Food takeaway in West Street, iron work sculptures at West Bridge and the removal of a wall at the old Texaco garage.
The subject of a public meeting earlier this year, the enhancement, designed by Okehampton architect Peter Woodgate, has received support from the community.
Devon County Council local service officer Mike Parnell said the work would follow on from the improvements at Fairplace.
'We have had quite a lot of comments about how nice Fairplace looks so I hope the work in Fore Street and West Street will have the same impact,' he said.
'It will look a lot more attractive and there will be more space for pedestrians. We are looking at ten weeks' work but it won't all be noisy digging.'
The final stage will be resurfacing the whole road through Fore Street and West Street.
Drawings of the scheme, which has been funded by the county and borough councils, European 5B funding and the Waitrose receipt, are on display in Okehampton Town Hall if anyone wants to see them.
A traffic trial at the West Street/Market Street junction, where two lanes have been reduced to one, will continue for another two weeks to allow more views from the public.
l To minimise further disruption to traffic flowing through the town, during the highways works in Fore Street South West Water will also be carrying out works to protect its main on West Bridge.
Where possible, the control of traffic through the works will be shared with the county council's contractor, South West Highways.