Major improvements are set to be carried out to the area surrounding the Metropolitan Cathedral in Liverpool as part of a new £6m programme of work due to start in March.

The junction of Mount Pleasant and Hope Street will undergo renovation work to create a new public space in front of the cathedral, which will see Upper Mount Pleasant restricted to buses, taxis and car parking access. Funding has been provided by the Northwest Development Agency, the European Regional Development Fund, the University of Liverpool and Liverpool John Moores University.

Liverpool City Council's executive member for assets and development, Peter Millea, said: "We have carried out extensive consultation on this scheme, and we are very pleased to be moving ahead on target towards a start on site in March. "We have already carried out major regeneration works in this area and this will be the final piece of the jigsaw, creating a safe and pleasant area for residents, businesses, students and visitors to enjoy."

The scheme will form part of a wider bid to establish a new Knowledge Quarter for the city, which has already seen work carried out to improve University Square, Brownlow Hill and the Wilderness Area. The council, together with regeneration agency Liverpool Vision, are leading the Knowledge Quarter Public Realm Programme with support from both universities.