Vision 2031 to keep 'pedestrian' but not 'pedestrianise'
Friday, 10th May 2013.
In the wake of St Edmundsbury Borough Council planners axing the aspiration of pedestrianising Haverhill High Street, councillors have forced a watered-down wording change.
The planners had brought their final draft of the Vision 2031 document, which covers development in St Edmundsbury for the next 20 years, for Haverhill Area Working Party to approve at their meeting yesterday.
Cllrs Maureen Byrne and Anne Gower homed in on the removal of a commitment to pedestrianise Haverhill High Street, and were told by planning policy director Ian Poole that it had been done because banning traffic was not currently 'deliverable’.
The document goes to a Government planning inspector, along with public comments on it, for approval, and Mr Poole said the inspector would pick up on undeliverability.
Cllr Byrne highlighted the lack of mention of rail renewal in the document and Mr Poole said this was also considered undeliverable by officers.
Cllr Gower claimed the change was not consistent with another part of the document and Mr Poole suggested the aspiration could be altered to include ‘enhance the High Street including the pedestrian environment’.
Cllr Byrne said the working party had agreed pedestrianisations should stay on its agenda for serious consideration nafter 70 per cent of the public had been shown to be in favour.
"I can see it being lost unless it's included here in this section of the document," she said.
She was assured it could still be considered at a later date if a master plan for the town centre came forward.
Councillors agreed the change and approved the whole document, which will go out to public consultation from June 18 to August 9.
Cllr Gower also pointed out that at the working party's last meeting six months ago members had been told Suffolk County Council's transport supremo Guy MacGregor would provide them with written reasons for his decision to call a halt to efforts to achieve a traffic ban in High Street.
No such details had been received, she was told and St Edmundsbury chief executive Ian Gallin said he would find out what had happened.
Members were told Cllr MacGregor planned a special meeting about traffic management in High Street, along the lines of one held in Sudbury, and they would be informed when it was to take place.
Cllr Byrne said people who attended Cllr MacGregor's public meeting in Haverhill in March had been led to believe they would be able to be involved in this meeting.
Since then she had heard it might be only by selected invitation for stakeholders.
"There is an expectation of those in attendance that trhis would be something they could attend," she said.
Cllr Gower her undertstanding was that the meeting should be open to everyone in the town and she wasdetermined it would be.
Mr Gallin said he would establish from Suffolk County Council what was being planned and pass details on to members.
The planners had brought their final draft of the Vision 2031 document, which covers development in St Edmundsbury for the next 20 years, for Haverhill Area Working Party to approve at their meeting yesterday.
Cllrs Maureen Byrne and Anne Gower homed in on the removal of a commitment to pedestrianise Haverhill High Street, and were told by planning policy director Ian Poole that it had been done because banning traffic was not currently 'deliverable’.
The document goes to a Government planning inspector, along with public comments on it, for approval, and Mr Poole said the inspector would pick up on undeliverability.
Cllr Byrne highlighted the lack of mention of rail renewal in the document and Mr Poole said this was also considered undeliverable by officers.
Cllr Gower claimed the change was not consistent with another part of the document and Mr Poole suggested the aspiration could be altered to include ‘enhance the High Street including the pedestrian environment’.
Cllr Byrne said the working party had agreed pedestrianisations should stay on its agenda for serious consideration nafter 70 per cent of the public had been shown to be in favour.
"I can see it being lost unless it's included here in this section of the document," she said.
She was assured it could still be considered at a later date if a master plan for the town centre came forward.
Councillors agreed the change and approved the whole document, which will go out to public consultation from June 18 to August 9.
Cllr Gower also pointed out that at the working party's last meeting six months ago members had been told Suffolk County Council's transport supremo Guy MacGregor would provide them with written reasons for his decision to call a halt to efforts to achieve a traffic ban in High Street.
No such details had been received, she was told and St Edmundsbury chief executive Ian Gallin said he would find out what had happened.
Members were told Cllr MacGregor planned a special meeting about traffic management in High Street, along the lines of one held in Sudbury, and they would be informed when it was to take place.
Cllr Byrne said people who attended Cllr MacGregor's public meeting in Haverhill in March had been led to believe they would be able to be involved in this meeting.
Since then she had heard it might be only by selected invitation for stakeholders.
"There is an expectation of those in attendance that trhis would be something they could attend," she said.
Cllr Gower her undertstanding was that the meeting should be open to everyone in the town and she wasdetermined it would be.
Mr Gallin said he would establish from Suffolk County Council what was being planned and pass details on to members.
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