A £625,000 scheme to create a shared space for all road users in an Oxford city centre street is about to get under way.

The West End Partnership will start work on Monday to transform New Inn Hall Street, following the completion of the £2m facelift of neighbouring Bonn Square in December.

The resurfacing project will last 20 weeks and is designed to encourage vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists to be courteous and give way to each other.

Although the full width of the street, including pavements, will be at the same level, the pavement areas will still be clearly marked.

Oxfordshire County Council, which is planning to pedestrianise more of the city centre as part of its Transform Oxford project, is providing £125,000 towards the work.

Colin Cook, the city council’s executive member for the city centre, said there was no reason to believe the scheme would turn into “another Cornmarket”, when a project to lay granite setts failed and the work had to be repeated, pushing the final bill up to £5m.

Mr Cook said: “The problems with Cornmarket Street stemmed from all the services and utilities under the street that were servicing the shops.

“That’s simply not the case in New Inn Hall Street and this is a much easier job — I think everything will be fine.

“Since Cornmarket was completed, the county council has successfully completed a number of resurfacing projects in the city.”

Materials being used for the scheme include granite kerbs, and York stone paving for the pavement, similar to the pavement in High Street, with buff-coloured chippings for the road surface.

There will also be new bicycle parking stands and potted plants.

Disabled parking arrangements in the street will be unaffected by the changes, although the bays will be suspended while the work is taking place.

Mr Cook added: “I don’t think the way the street is used will change dramatically.

“There will be a few months of major disruption for the businesses and users of the street while the work is taking place — there will be pain before we get the gain.

“These improvements will help to establish Oxford’s West End as a pleasant and accessible area within the city centre.”

Sally Emery, a spokesman for the West End Partnership, said it was providing £500,000 for the scheme.

County council leader Keith Mitchell said: “The work in New Inn Hall Street is another step forward for the West End renaissance and Transform Oxford.”

He added: “Oxford will soon be leading the way in terms of street design and pedestrian experience.”

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