Moving the historic Fountain at the top of Broad Street, March, is closer thanks to a funding commitment.

The fountain will need to move when the current T junction becomes a mini roundabout as part of the town’s multi-million-pound transformation.

The fountain was erected in 1912 by the inhabitants of March to commemorate the coronation of his Majesty King George V on June 22, 1911.

In 1985, it was listed a grade II English Heritage building, and in 2002 it was refurbished by Heritage Engineering.

Making life easier for motorists, pedestrians and cyclists is part of the strategy behind the re construction of Broad Street,

Two projects are being aligned to work together to bring about major changes to the town centre.

And to kick start it, the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority (CAPCA) is popping nearly £600,000 into the mix.

The money is for statutory works to get the project ready for construction - utilities coordination, preparation of tender documents and procurement.

CAPCA will be asked to agree to re-purpose £586,205 of Future High Street Fund money to kick off the initial phases of the March Area Transport Study – MATS - Broad Street construction.

The board will also be recommended to approve the drawdown of £3,780,387 for the whole construction of the MATS’ Broad Street scheme, subject to independent evaluation.

One surprising sticking point in the plans has been what to do with the public toilets in Broad Street.

Councillors say there was pressure to remove them altogether but a compromise has been reached which will their demolition and a new block built nearby.

Dr Nik Johnson, mayor of Cambridgeshire & Peterborough, said: “The Combined Authority is massively committed to helping market towns like March.

“We want to develop greener and more people-friendly transport links that really serve the community, improving public areas, and giving space for walking and cycling.”

He said CAPCA has also funded the revamp of March’s railway station, along with regeneration of other Fenland railway services.

An early report on revamping March pointed out the town is predicted to grow by approximately one third by 2036.

“However, the proportion of the working age population is set to decline from 62 per cent to 56 per cent, with an increasing proportion of older residents.

“This represents a challenge for March in terms of ensuring an aging population has good access to local services and amenities.”