The regeneration of Gloucester's King's Quarter will soon be taking some baby steps into becoming reality.

Businesses in the centre of Gloucester have received a message from Reef Group, the company working alongside the city council on the exciting transformation project.

Planning permission for the grand, overarching King's Quarter redevelopment has yet to be granted, but that hasn't stopped "enabling work" and "investigations" from taking place.

The plans hybrid scheme which will see not only King's Square but the area of land between the square and railway station transformed has been formally submitted.

The scheme which will see leisure and office space created, alongside the refurbishment of King's House - currently The Chambers - to create a food hall and creative hub.

More than 150 new homes will be built and a new thoroughfare created from the station through to the square alongside a hotel and new multi-storey car park.

But while waiting for approval for the scheme, Reef and the council are starting the preparatory work which will start soon.

In a letter sent to business owners this week they said: "We're writing to update you about what's happening with the next steps of the regeneration of Kings Quarter.

"From next week, you'll notice work starting to happen around Kings Square as part of our plans to improve the area for people who live work and visit here.

"The team from Wilson Associates is carrying out early investigations, which will be used to help shape any future work that's taking place on the site.

"Parts of Kings Square will be cordoned off to enable this work to happen safely for a short time. This early work will be complete by end of August.

"There will be more enabling work taking place during September and October."

City council leader Paul James said that the signs of boots on the ground will be exciting for the city as it's a sign of the transformation starting.

Work is underway on the King's Walk car park and planning permission has been granted for a new video display screen in the square, and this latest news is a sign of more progress,

Cllr James said: "After being talked about for a long time, the improvements in Kings Square and Kings Walk are becoming a reality.

"We are already onsite in the Kings Walk car park and in preparing some of the vacant units for new tenants and we'll soon be starting in the Square itself.

"With some major demolition taking place in the wider Kings Quarter area in the new year, this part of the city centre will soon start to look very different."