The first phase of work on a £6.1m revamp of Norwich's St Stephens Street is about to begin - with the closure of a city centre road.

The changes for St Stephens Street, one of the city's main shopping areas, includes moving bus stops, shelters and planters and improved crossings for pedestrians.

Eastern Daily Press: An artist's impression of what the revamped St Stephens Street could look like.An artist's impression of what the revamped St Stephens Street could look like. (Image: Norfolk County Council)

Members of the Transforming Cities joint committee, made up of city, county and district councillors, unanimously agreed to the scheme in June.

And the first phase of work will begin on Tuesday, August 31, when Surrey Street in Norwich, between St Stephens Street and the bus station, will be shut for up to 12 weeks.

The work, costing just over £300,000, will see the carriageway of Surrey Street narrowed to six metres, allowing the footpath to be made wider.

Council bosses say that will mean improvements for cyclists and pedestrians close to Norwich Bus Station.

While Surrey Street is shut, access to properties will still be permitted and cyclists and pedestrians will still be able to get through.

Eastern Daily Press: Surrey Street in Norwich.Surrey Street in Norwich. (Image: Archant)

Konectbuses on its routes 1, 3, 4, 6, 8, 84, 501 and 502 will be affected.

Buses on routes 1, 3, 4 and 6 will not serve St Stephens Street, while those on routes 8, 501 and 502 towards Castle Meadow will loop round Surrey Street, All Saints Green and Queens Road to get to St Stephens Street.

The 8, 501 and 502 towards the bus station will go via St Stephens Street and Queens Road, while the 84 will go via Surrey Street to Queens Road.

First Buses' Charcoal Lane services - the 40, 41 and X41 services - will not be able to get to their usual stop in St Stephens Street.

Instead, those services will operate from Stand N in the bus station.

The St Stephens Street area scheme will be paid for using some of the £32m which Norwich was awarded through the government's Transforming Cities scheme.

There had been a proposal to make Surrey Street one-way, but that was scrapped.

But plans for new 'sawtooth' bus bays in St Stephens Street remain.

Norwich Cycling Campaign had warned the alignment of those bays could mean a bus driver might not spot a cyclist when pulling out.