Belatedly, Colchester Council has just finished a consultation with residents over air quality in areas such as Magdalen Street, Brook Street and the lower Mersea Road.
Although this suggests concern, its own plans for traffic restrictions in the town centre will make these distressed areas much worse. It is obvious they have been disregarded and no impact assessment has been done.
Local authorities should not implement policies that are detrimental to a minority of their residents, even if they can show the principle has some support.
The desire to improve air quality in three secondary shopping streets cannot override the quality of life of thousands of residents living to the east of town.
Unless infrastructure is in place to reduce pollution and traffic problems in these areas, the administration’s case is flawed and must be challenged.
One wonders what the relevant ward councillors think. Have they been gagged?
The council likes to talk up its environmental credentials.
These proposals, championed by this authority, not the county, will cause harm to households beyond the centre, and surely puts the council in breach of its duty of care.
Comparisons by councillor Martin Goss (who has assumed the role of council spokesperson) with Ipswich and Chelmsford are not valid.
Their pedestrianised streets are dominated by retail chains. The independents have gone. They already have park and rides and better infrastructure.
This ill-considered plan will undermine small traders, upset the disabled, aggravate congestion and inflict more pollution on parts of New Town and Castle wards. They should start revising now.
Nick Chilvers
Canwick Grove
Colchester
...It must have been quite disappointing for councillor Will Quince, the leader-elect of the Conservatives in Colchester, to see the points made in his letter (April 3) demolished before he even started by the preceding one from Peter Kay.
Nevertheless, it needs to be said it is not just the Lib Dems who wish to improve the High Street under the present scheme, but also the Labour Party through its part in the town hall administration, and, inconveniently for councillor Quince, the Conservative Party at Essex County Council, which is not only jointly and fully supportive of the scheme, but includes the people who will make the final decision as the highways authority.
What County Hall would not ever support – as Peter Kay rightly said – is the local Tory alternative of full pedestrianisation, which has already been dismissed by Essex County Council and Colchester Council as unworkable, for all the reasons Mr Kay outlined.
In fact, far from being “rushed through”, as councillor Quince claimed, this scheme has been under discussion between Essex County Council and Colchester Council not only during the four years of the present administration, but with the previous Conservative administration – at least that was what we were told at our first joint meeting.
Councillor Quince would know none of this because, while all those discussions were taking place and all the alternatives were being explored, he had only just arrived in Colchester. And suddenly he’s an expert.
It is also going to be very interesting should Essex County Council’s cabinet ever discuss its response to the present consultation because three Colchester county councillors are on the cabinet at County Hall and two of them are also borough councillors – John Jowers and, more importantly, Kevin Bentley, who is the present Conservative leader on Colchester Council and who has been replaced by councillor Quince.
I wonder what his view is – will he disagree with his county colleagues or his borough colleagues?
Martin Hunt
Deputy Leader
Colchester Council
Irvine Road
Colchester
...How welcome it is that Val Best (Letters, March 28) feels it a good idea to delay the parking problems on the High Street until the park and ride system is up and running.
Also, I endorse Mr Brett’s comments (Letters, March 28) in respect of Lyn Barton’s attitude towards disabled parking.
In November 2010, she stated North Hill had been put forward for disabled parking so people could go to the restaurants there and also that we need to get traffic off the High Street.
She also said that because a few drivers were abusing the blue badge scheme, instead of pursuing the guilty, it was easier to ban the lot.
Recently, she commented the disabled could “propel”
themselves to the High Street or be pushed by their carers.
These are the words of a person who doesn’t care if it’s against the Equality Act 2010.
J L Gray
Coppice Road
Alresford
...There has been much said on whether or not to ban cars etc from Colchester town centre.
The solution is, in fact, so easy. Vehicles are a part of life. The out-of-town stores the centre competes with win because they accept and even embrace this, providing vast areas for parking close to the shops.
The council must do the same. All car parks close to town must be free. If this is done, all the parks will be full, and so will the shops.
Obviously, to stop workers parking free, it should be timed say from 10am until 4pm.
The loss in revenue will be replaced by taxable income from the shops.
K Blair
St Andrew’s Road
Clacton
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