Lead Member – Councillor Steve Charmley – Portfolio Holder for Physical Infrastructure, Highways and Built Housing

Report of Executive Director of Place TO FOLLOW

Contact:  Mark Barrow 01743 258919

RESOLVED:

2.1    That Cabinet agrees that following the end of social distancing measures on 19 July an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order be confirmed closing Shrewsbury High Street to traffic Monday to Sunday 11-4 but allowing buses and taxis to use the road Monday- Friday and for this arrangement to continue until after the consultation referred to in recommendation 2.2 has been completed and a further report has been considered by Cabinet to longer term arrangements for High Street.

2.2    That Cabinet approves an 8-week public consultation to be initiated in the late Autumn led by Shropshire Council and its key partners to consider proposals for pedestrianisation of the High Street between:

·           Monday to Friday 11am – 4pm for all vehicles except buses, taxis, and cyclists to be prevented from accessing the High Street.

·           Saturday/Sunday 11am – 4pm all vehicles to be prevented from accessing the High Street

·           to reduce or restrict through traffic on Town Walls via the formalisation of existing temporary measures on Town Walls and or the implementation of a Low Traffic Zone.

2.3    That Cabinet delegates authority to the Executive Director of Place, and Head of Communications / Head of Transport and Environment (working with partners) to finalise the consultation plan with the Council’s key partners.

2.4    That Cabinet to receive a further detailed report on the outcomes of the public consultation.

The Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for Physical Infrastructure, Highways and Built Housing presented a report setting out an approach to implement a new Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (ETRO) to adjust from social distancing to an experiment for the Shrewsbury high street. In addition, support for the formalisation of existing measures and/or a Low Traffic Zone on the Shrewsbury Town Walls would be ascertained. He added that the closure times would remain unchanged, and on weekends all traffic would be prohibited during the closure period.

The Deputy Leader commented that a consultation exercise would be undertaken with stakeholders and the general public and this would consider all impacts of the experimental measures and assist the Council and its partners to implement the optimum longer-term arrangements for the town centre, its businesses, residents and stakeholders without impinging on its economic growth.

Responding to comments from Members, he made the following additional points:

·         Town Walls residents would be fully consulted in an additional follow up consultation on the implementation of a Low Traffic Zone;

·         Balance would be needed between long term measures and consideration of the addition of extra disabled parking bays

·         An incremental approach would be taken to the scheme, for example, trial scheme, consultation, permanent measures

·         All businesses would be consulted including those non-BID members

·         Enforcement of the restrictions would fall to the Police

The Leader stated that she held some reservations and stressed the merits of a trial period for these initiatives (including the Low Traffic Zone on the Town Walls) and recognised the need for further consideration of enforcement measures without necessarily a reliance on the finite resources of the local Police.  Responding to a Member’s query, she added that an update would be provided on the series of signage to encourage traffic flow and parking away from the town centre.

RESOLVED:

i)             That Cabinet agrees that, following the end of social distancing measures on 19 July 2021, an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order be confirmed closing Shrewsbury High Street to traffic Monday to Sunday 11-4 but allowing buses and taxis to use the road Monday- Friday and for this arrangement to continue until after the consultation referred to in recommendation (ii) has been completed and a further report has been considered by Cabinet to longer term arrangements for High Street.

ii)            That Cabinet approves an 8-week public consultation to be initiated in the late Autumn led by Shropshire Council and its key partners to consider proposals for pedestrianisation of the High Street between:

·           Monday to Friday 11am – 4pm for all vehicles except buses, taxis, and cyclists to be prevented from accessing the High Street.

·           Saturday/Sunday 11am – 4pm all vehicles to be prevented from accessing the High Street

·           to reduce or restrict through traffic on Town Walls via the formalisation of existing temporary measures on Town Walls and or the implementation of a Low Traffic Zone.

iii)           That a separate consultation be held with businesses within the loop of the river that will be directly affected by the proposals at (ii) above.

iv)           That Cabinet delegates authority to the Executive Director of Place, and Head of Communications / Head of Transport and Environment (working with partners) to finalise the consultation plan with the Council’s key partners.

v)          That Cabinet receives a further detailed report on the outcomes of the public consultation.