Nantwich Town Councillors are pressing ahead with plans to restrict heavy vehicles accessing pedestrianised areas in the town centre.
A particular focus is on Mill Street, where large delivery vehicles are accessing the town centre.
Some shop owners and residents have raised concerns about damage being done to paved pedestrianised areas, as well as danger posed by large vehicles speeding and putting customers at risk.
They are calling for clearer weight and speed restriction signage at the entrance to pedestrian zones.
Cllrs Riddell Graham and Peter Groves said they recently met on site with highways engineers from Cheshire East Council.
They studied the Mill Street area as well as touring the other pedestrianised areas on High Street, Pepper Street and Churchyardside, and presented a 27-page report to the town council last week.
They noted various areas of paved areas failing or subsiding, narrow access for large vehicles, that many businesses require vehicle access for delivery and collections, speeding was observed on Mill Street, and whether bollards could be installed restricting deliver vehicles to certain times.
Cllr Graham said: “An engineer from Ringway Jacobs attended on site initially to look at Mill Street, but also the rest of the pedestrian zone.
“If there is a weight limit there, then it’s going to be on the rest of the zone.
“Current signage is confusing and obscure, and there is an element of subsidence across the pedestrian zone caused by poor ground conditions, heavy traffic and/or by poorly laid paving.”
Cllr Groves added: “I’ve raised the issues with Cheshire East Highways following on from calls with residents and shop owners.
“The speed of delivery vans going up and down Mill Street is a real concern. The owners of Ginger & Pickles expressed concern about some of their customers almost being hit by vehicles.”
Cllr Graham said: “What’s needed next is a feasibility study.
“We need to find out how much this costs, Cheshire East tell us they don’t have any money to produce it. So should the town council pay for it as a first step?
“The study will provide costs of any work and timescales. We very much want support for the idea of a study to take this further, we want something that is manageable and something than can be achieved.”
Cllr Caroline Kirkham said they needed to be careful on the cost as “some of this is Cheshire East’s responsibility”.
Cllr Geoff Smith said the structural failure of one of the raised flower planters had been reported as a health and safety issue.
The cost of a feasibility study to resolve the wider issues is now to be explored.
(Images provided by Nantwich Town Council)
Just limit the delivery times and fix the shoddy paving, never used to be a problem before they made it a pedestrian only area. I remember those roads being open to traffic decades ago.
Congratulations on a plan that brings barriers to trade.
How about stopping all the tables and chairs that seem to be taking over the square so that people don’t have to walk in the middle of the area, deliveries should be outside opening times to make it safer for all.
Newcastle under Lyme have the right idea, the entire town centre pedestrian area is closed from 10am till 4pm, the deliveries are then outside those hours and has worked fine for years, cannot see what the fuss is about. Would like it to cover beam street too, or at least calm the speeding traffic that races through it each day
Right decision should stop cars from travelling through the centre too. As for businesses a possible alternative could be fixed times for access, early mornings before opening or alternatively when shops have closed. Safety for the people of Nantwich and visitors has to be a priority
Yes you can ,
I see Councillor Mr Groves commenting on town traffic.
Whete was he when the abomination which is Greggs being built in an area already overloaded with traffic.
You cant stick a shop on an island charge a small fortune for rates, wax lyrical about how fantastic you are doing…. up the parking charges…..then stop van/lorry/other going to replenish said shop.