Public consultation on the £1.7 million plan which aims to streamline traffic and pedestrian flow in and around the town centre officially starts today (Tuesday).
The Llangollen
2020 Castle Street Improvement scheme aims to improve the town's main thoroughfare and some adjacent streets.
The council says the proposals
are intended to improve the public realm along Castle Street by replacing the
existing kerbs and footway paving with high-quality materials.
It will also
see the removal of on-street parking from Castle Street and from the Abbey
Road/Castle Street junction to enable the adjacent pavements to be widened and
reduce parking-related congestion on Castle Street.
Other
proposals include introducing a number of pedestrian dropped kerbs along Castle
Street and to reduce traffic speeds by raising the road surface at some side
road junctions as well as providing two loading bays for businesses on Castle
Street, together with two disabled parking spaces near to Castle Street.
It is also
proposed to make Market Street one-way in a westerly direction between Castle
Street and East Street and introduce a loading bay on the south side of Market
Street where the temporary loading bay is currently located.
The Castle
Street improvement is part of a phased-approach to improve parking and to
improve walking and cycling routes in the town.
The three-week consultation exercise launches today (Tuesday, June 15) and will close on July 6.
As consultation begins the council says around 2,000 residents and businesses in the area will receive a letter briefing them on the proposals.
There will also be an information campaign on social media.
Members of the public can have their say on the plans online and at a public exhibition which will be held on Castle Street near to the Town Hall between Monday and Friday, June 21 and 25 June.
Council officers will be there to explain the scheme and county councillors will also on hand at various points over the five days.
The council says it will visit Castle Street businesses during week commencing June 21 to give them the opportunity to discuss the proposals with officers.
Plans will also be on display in the windows of the former bar within the Royal Hotel at the corner of Castle Street and Bridge Street for the three of the consultation.
A further briefing by officers will take place at the Town Council meeting this evening.
Cllr Brian Jones, Denbighshire County Council’s Lead Member for Waste, Transport and the Environment, said: “For the past three years the council has been working closely with the Llangollen 2020 group to develop these proposals.
“We want as many members of the community to have their say on the latest plans for the project
“Funding is in place to deliver the scheme in the autumn and winter of 2021-22. However, no final decision has yet been taken by the council on whether to proceed with the scheme as this will be dependent upon the outcome of the consultation with any final decision on the scheme being made by the council’s cabinet.
“We are also aware of concerns raised regarding the acacia tree located near the Town Hall. The current situation is that the condition of the tree is still being assessed by tree experts and no decisions have yet been made about its future.”
At a media briefing session last Friday, Cllr Jones told llanblogger the results of the public consultation will be taken fully into consideration by the council’s cabinet before it makes the final decision on whether the scheme goes ahead.
He added: “Weight will be given to the public feedback and we therefore want as many people as possible to engage with us and let us know their views.
“Given the size and cost of the project it is only right that the cabinet makes the final decision on it.”
If 2020 gets the green light from the cabinet Cllr Jones said work will start on creating the new town centre environment in early September this year with completion expected by next spring.
Traffic and road safety manager for Denbighshire, Mike Jones, said construction would be co-ordinated with possible work on Llangollen bridge by the county and Dwr Cymru, with close liaison taking place throughout the project with shops and businesses in the affected area to minimise disruption.
* You can have your say on the plans at https://countyconversation.denbighshire.gov.uk/project/600. Paper copies of the online questionnaire will be available at the public exhibition and can also be requested by contacting the Council on 01824 706000.
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