Pedestrian scheme motion meeting

Attempts at ‘improving’ the Newbury town centre pedestrianisation scheme get put to West Berkshire Council next week (Thursday).

A motion put by independent councillor Adrian Abbs suggests a one-way system to allow traffic to enter Bartholomew Street in a single south-to-north direction through Northbrook Street, with return access facilitated through Park Way.

“This flow maintains a controlled environment while improving connectivity and reducing congestion on feeder roads,” Mr Abbs has suggested.

“If for some reason it in not possible to use Park Way and Wharf Road as the north to south route then the A339 can be designated as the route from north to south in the town.”

He has also put forward free short-stay parking bays – limited to 15 to 30 minutes – along designated sections of Bartholomew Street and Northbrook Street.

Members of the public have previsouly lobbied the council’s top table wondering why the local authority had gone ahead with the move despite almost 60 per cent of respondents to a survey about it saying they didn’t want it.

They oppose the extension of pedestrian hours in the town centre to 10am to 11pm from the previous 10am to 5pm.

Another, less specific, but on theme motion has also been put – this time from Conservative group leader Ross Mackinnon – who wants the council to “consider that in the event a decision is made contrary to the majority of residents’ opinions expressed via a public consultation, then a statement should be published on the council’s public website no more than 14 days after the making of the decision, written by the chairman of council in respect of a council decision, or the leader of the council in respect of an executive decision, or the relevant individual executive member in respect of an individual executive member decision, clearly informing residents that a decision has been made contrary to the majority of residents’ opinions expressed via a public consultation, and explaining the decision-maker’s rationale for making that decision not in accordance with that majority of residents’ opinions”.

The council maintains that there was enough support to conduct the trial and that there is plenty of ‘overarching evidence’ it improves the vitality of the area.

At the previous full council meeting, council leader Jeff Brooks (Lib Dem, Thatcham West) said: “I have already said if it was palpably not working then we will stop the trial.”

The motions will be discussed at full council next Thursday.