WARRINGTON Borough Council has pledged to fully engage with Orford residents before implementing any Central 6 low traffic schemes after a short delay due to the volume of public feedback.
In an open letter to residents following a protest at Warrington town hall, council leader Cllr. Russ Bowden said the council would come back with new proposals for the Orford area by the end of July – but this has now been put back while the council continues to work through feedback from residents.
A Warrington Borough Council spokesperson said: “We want to make sure that we come forward with new proposals for Orford which are the right fit for its communities, acknowledging the feedback and engagement we have had around the initial proposals for the scheme.
“In order to bring forward ideas to consult on that we think will be most appropriate, we are working through and taking account of a great deal of feedback, which has caused a short delay. We are also actively consulting with residents on the current Westy scheme, which is also taking a significant amount of time to work through due to a high volume of responses – which we of course welcome as part of our ongoing engagement into the LTN scheme.
“We would like to reassure residents that despite there being a small delay to re-consulting on Orford, no schemes will be taken forward without first engaging with residents, and we are grateful for the ongoing feedback from our communities.”
Central 6 campaign group spokesperson Rachael Harper said: “While we must stress the urgency of publishing the revised plans for Orford as quickly as possible so that the residents of Orford are not living in a constant state of worry, we respect that the council is allowing the time to analyse feedback properly. We would rather they take into account all the feedback and respond accordingly than rush through plans on half a story.
“Obviously, in the case of the Westy/ Latchford area, the matter is more pressing due to the scheme already having such an impact on residents in that area. We were pleased to see that the council has stated they will not implement anything in Orford without engaging with residents first, we just wish they would have offered the same respect to the people of Latchford/ Westy. The fact that there has been so much feedback is a very positive thing and we await with eager anticipation as to what the council will do with it.
“In the meantime, we’d love to invite the mayor of Warrington and members of the council to attend our peaceful protest teddy bears family picnic, on bank park outside the town hall on the 14th August at 1 pm. This would be a fantastic opportunity for the council and residents to come together in a peaceful and respectful way to share concerns, as well as take in the festivities of course.
“We’re looking at organising some fundraising for some local charities at this event too. We all want the best for Warrington and we are hoping this event will be a real highlight for community spirit in this town.”
Last Saturday around 200 people marched from Orford Park to Victoria Park, protesting against the Central 6 low traffic schemes.
Residents march in protest against Central 6 low traffic schemes
