Traffic changes spark petition - and councillors address the issues

* The Change.org petition as it was on Friday morning.

As an online petition began to circulate criticising some of the moves, Llangollen's two county councillors have given their reaction to changes recently made to the town's traffic system aimed at making it for easier social distancing during the pandemic.

These changes include widening pavements in Castle Street - removing its on-street parking bays - and  on Abbey Road, reversing the one-way traffic flow in Church Street and making Market Street partially one-way. 

The petition, run through Change.org and intended to be sent to Denbighshire County Council, was started on Thursday by Jenni Lloyd who runs Jenni's shop in Market.

At 12.30pm today (Friday) the petition had attracted 85 of its 100 target signatures.

In the preface she says: "Having the loading bay placed outside my shop in Market Street, it seems clear that a lot of the local community are not happy with some of the recent changes in Llangollen.

"Have your say, let them sit up and take notice of us, not lie or ignore us as they are at present."

She says: "The lorries are 5ft from my window and it's fairly constant as the bay is servicing the whole of Castle Street.

"It is also to service the Town Hall so when they are putting up scenery or dismantling it for the shows its one heck of a trek.

"I know my business will not survive with the loading bay where it is and I'm very sad about that.

"None of us where contacted by the council at any point."

In a joint statement the two Llangollen county councillors, Graham Timms and Melvyn Mile, said today: "In answer to the furore that’s setting Llangollen Noticeboard on fire, we are still in the grip of the Covid -19 pandemic, these measures have been put in place to make Llangollen safer, for both its residents and its visitors.

"Many of our older residents were in fear of their lives during the national lockdown. They chose to remain at home even when it was lifted, rather than venture onto Castle St and face the crowds of visitors. A petition in support of the changes to Castle St was signed by over 140 people and sent to DCC on 6th August.

"The purpose of these measures is to ease the pressure on pedestrians in Castle Street.

"At the moment, due to the lockdown in England, our streets are empty and these measures appear not to be needed. That can change come December 2.

"There have been some cavalier comments re the scheme, please remember that it’s only in place to keep us safer."

Cllr Timms and Cllr Mile said they had met with county officers on Thursday to discuss a number of issues regarding the introduction of the Covid changes in Llangollen.

Here they take the issues raised point by point:

"Will the temporary signs stay by the Hand Hotel?

"There are still a few vehicles that have been travelling down Church Street in the wrong direction, having not noticed the reversing of the traffic direction even with the extra signage. It is a genuine safety concern and needs to be aggressively signposted during the first few days and weeks of the scheme. The extra signage by the Hand Hotel is temporary and will eventually be removed.

"Will all signs be bilingual?

"By the end of next week, all signage in the town will be bilingual, as required by the Welsh Language Act. The carriageway signs on Bridge Street pose a problem because if they were bilingual the writing would have to start a few more metres before the junction. As a result, we have agreed that the white arrow indicating the right turn will stay, but the text will be removed. This change will also help to reduce the visual impact on the conservation area.

"Is Church Street still "Access only"?

"Yes. Signs indicating this will be added to the current signage next week. It has been delayed because of temporary scaffolding on the Sun Inn on one side of the road. On the opposite side, the pole is not long enough to display the additional sign. A longer pole will be in place by the end of next week.

"What about the loading bay on Market Street?

"We are continuing our discussions next week  with the Denbighshire Road Safety team about the position of this bay to see if there is a better solution that can be reached for all."

The councillors added: "Please get in touch with us if you have comments or suggestions about the changes. We listen and pass on your views on to the council on your behalf. Email us at the addresses below.

graham.timms@denbighshire.gov.uk and melvyn.mile@denbighshire.gov.uk

Masterplan produced for Trevor Basin area

* Plan by Arcadis Consultancy.

Wrexham County Borough Council, Solutia UK and the Canal and River Trust in Wales have published a masterplan for the Trevor Basin and surrounding area, which forms part of the World Heritage Site at Pontcysyllte Aqueduct.

The sets out a vision for the area which aims to protect the heritage on site, enhance the visitor attraction and brings economic and social benefits to the region.

It includes a new visitor hub welcoming people to the site, improvements and expansion of car parking and commercial ventures such as a tree top walk, camping and glamping.  

Subject to funding and commercial interest, the plan could be delivered in stages over short, medium and longer term.

The Pontcysyllte Aqueduct at Trevor Basin is a historically significant site that attracts over 300,000 visitors per year to the local area. 

The organisations involved says it its current amenity offer is limited and consequently the site does not deliver to its full potential in terms of encouraging longer dwell times and leveraging visitor expenditure to the wider area.

The next stage will see the partners engage with Welsh and English governments to help deliver the funding required to bring forward the proposals.

Ian Bancroft, Chair of the World Heritage Site Board and Terry Evans, Lead Member for Economy, have said “It will be hugely important to the future management of the World Heritage Site and catalyst for transformation by creating a world class destination, in keeping with its status, to deliver a positive social and economic impact both locally and within the north Wales region.”

Solutia UK, the owners of the site which housed the former factory and makes up a significant part of the masterplan area, said: “We were very happy to work with Wrexham Council and the Canal and Rivers Trust in the development of the masterplan. 

"The Pontcysyllte Aqueduct is a stunning piece of industrial architecture and this masterplan includes some exciting developments around it and in the surrounding communities."

The masterplan has been developed over the past three years with Arcadis Consultancy and Stantec and has involved engagement with local residents, businesses and environment and community groups.

It is said to have the potential to generate approximately £75.7m (present value) of additional benefits for the Welsh economy over the next 30 years and generate £24.6 million in social value impacts from recreational users.  

It has the potential to significantly improve the quality and variety of the site’s visitor offer driving new visitors spend, creating jobs close to an area of high deprivation and helping to put Wrexham’s tourism sector onto a more even footing with other areas of North Wales.

Denbighshire planning guide now available

A definitive guide to complying with the planning process in Denbighshire has been produced.

The Denbighshire Planning Compliance Charter sets out how the planning process works in the county and includes a wide range of information, including details of the pre-planning service;  submitting planning applications; advice for complainants; how to report a breach of planning control; enforcement notices and planning investigations.

Councillor Mark Young, Cabinet Lead Member for Planning, Public Protection, Safer Communities and Domestic Abuse said: “I welcome the production and use of this very useful charter. This has been developed in consultation with our many City, Town and Community Councils across the county and aims to guide those involved in the planning compliance process.

“It is vitally important that the Council continues to take a proportionate approach to regulation, aiming to balance environmental protection with business support and growth. This charter provides helpful advice to those making complaints about potential breaches of planning control and to those who may have breached planning control. The planning compliance process is a complex and often time-consuming one. We hope that this charter guides those involved and manages expectations of the Council’s role.

“Not everyone applies for planning consent when they should. This is where the planning compliance function comes in. This charter sets out how the Council seeks to deal with the harmful effects of unauthorised works by ensuring that planning policies are applied proportionately but robustly.

“The charter’s primary purpose is to help complainants, alleged contraveners and other interested parties understand how the planning compliance function operates. The Council wishes to work alongside people to remedy unauthorised works, in the knowledge that working together is the most effective approach to dealing with breaches of planning control.

“We hope people getting involved in the planning process find this a useful and informative guide."

* The document can be found at: https: www.denbighshire.gov.uk/en/planning-and-building-regulations

Mayor lays wreath for Armistice Day

The Town Mayor, Cllr Jon Haddy, laid a wreath on the war memorial in Centenary Square yesterday to mark the day of the First World War Armistice on November 11, 1918. 

Railway decides to cancel its special Christmas trains

Llangollen Railway has decided to cancel its special Christmas season trains.

On its Facebook page it is says: "It is with a very heavy heart that we have taken the decision to cancel the Santa and Mince Pie Specials for 2020.

"With the uncertainty surrounding further local area lockdown restrictions, there is no guarantee the majority of our passengers will be able to travel with us throughout December.

"Everyone who has made a booking will be contacted during the next week via email regarding their booking. 

"We are asking customers to not telephone the office but to respond to the email they receive. Due to furlough we are running the office with a skeleton staff. 

"Facebook messages will not be responded to at the current time, emails will be answered but it will take a little longer than usual to respond.

"Please bear with us during this unprecedented period. Your help and support during this difficult time is very much appreciated.

"Again, our apologies, we hope to see you at Llangollen Railway in 2021"

A railway spokesperson added: "We will be offering a full refund, a voucher for an alternative event next year (including Santa Specials) or people may wish to donate the ticket money to the railway in this time of need."

 

We will be offering a full refund, a voucher for an alternative event next year (including Santa Specials) or that they can donate the ticket money to the Railway. (!),,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, in this time of need,

 

County councillor explains reasons behind town's traffic changes

* The new one-way sign at the junction of Church Street and the A5. 

Specially for llanblogger Llangollen county councillor Graham Timms has explained the thinking behind the Covid-19 traffic changes which are currently being put in place around the town. 

* Wider pavement on one side of Castle Street.

Why has the parking been removed from Castle Street?

Whilst businesses need all the custom that they can get in these difficult times, it is essential that everyone feels safe and welcome on our streets. 

Many local residents felt that the crowds and lack of space made them nervous about going into the centre. 

It was impossible to observe social distancing on the very narrow pavements on both sides of Castle Street. 

In August and September and on fine weekends the pavements were much too crowded and something had to be done to make Llangollen safe for residents and visitors. 

Removing the parking provides extra room for this. A more relaxed pedestrian experience will encourage more time (and money) to be spent in the shops in the town centre.

Why use lane defenders?

We asked if the street could be separated from the pavement using wooden planters instead. 

Unfortunately there are strict rules about this - it’s about safety for pedestrians. Planters would be dangerous if a vehicle collides with them as they would slide, possibly causing injury. 

The lane defenders offer much more protection even though they don’t look anywhere near as nice.

Why has all the extra space been added to one side of Castle Street?

In an ideal world the space would have been added equally to both sides of the street. Unfortunately this would have left a very narrow strip of ground at street level on both sides with a curb up onto the original pavement. This would have made the likelihood of tripping on the curb much more likely.

So why was the east side of Castle Street chosen?

The pavement on the west side of the street has much more width by Y Capel and down past the Town Hall. It was decided to add the extra space to the east side for this reason. ‘Llangollen 2020’ plans will have the extra width divided between both sides and the whole pavement will be raised to the same level.

Is there any free parking in car parks?

Yes. To mitigate the loss of parking on Castle Street Denbighshire have provided free parking for two hours during normal shop opening hours until the end of December. We asked for a free half hour in all car parks to allow residents to ‘pop and shop’ but we were told that the concession would be the same for each town.

Will free parking continue next year?

We’ve asked for some free parking next year too, but no decision has been made just yet. We’re pushing for the free half hour in all car parks rather than the current two hours in East Street only.

* No entry signs at the junction of Bridge Street and Church Street.

Church Street - Why does reversing the one-way system help to improve road safety for parents and children on their way to school?

Church Street is used by many parents and children on their journey to and from school. Walking and cycling is being encouraged, but many other parents in cars also use this route as a short cut (illegally) which makes the route much more dangerous. 

If the one-way system is reversed the traffic on Church Street will then travel towards the town from the Sun Inn. 

On reaching the Hand Hotel all traffic will have to turn left, as Bridge Street will keep its original direction of traffic flow.  

Chapel Street and Oak Street will have to be followed to get to Castle Street. It now takes longer to follow the new Church Street route than using Regent Street (the A5). 

One way from Castle Street into Market Street. Why? 

Traffic surveys show that there are more pedestrians crossing Castle Street at the Market Street and Oak Street junction than anywhere else. 

Preventing traffic from leaving Market Street here will make the junction safer. Pedestrians crossing from the Market Street Car Park will only have traffic in one direction to contend with. 

It will also help with traffic flow as this junction often becomes blocked at busy times. The new route from Market Street onto Castle Street will follow the current one-way system along East Street and Parade Street.

* The short link road between M'Eating Point and Stans.

What is the point in closing the small link road between M’Eating Point and Stan’s Garage?

Traffic using this small link road often creates a hazard on the A5 right by the traffic lights. Visibility is also very poor when vehicles travel onto Hall Street. Alternative routes are much safer. 

Many pedestrians also cross the A5 at this point on their way to and from Stan’s Garage and Post Office. Closing this small link road removes an extra hazard for pedestrians at this point.

Is it possible to please everyone by making these changes?

Unfortunately, no.

Bags of good wishes delivered for Remembrance Day

* The Remembrance gift bags delivered across town.

Various organisations in Llangollen have  teamed up to provide and deliver Remembrance gift bags to deserving people across the town.  

The bags were put together by Kirsty Wild along with volunteers Stephanie Mitchell and Jen Davies from Llangollen Food Share.  

Town Hall facilitator Charlie Jones assisted in sourcing poppies to go with the bags.  

Cat Meade  from Wingetts plus volunteers Cath, Barrie and Karen distributed them to Llangollen's four care homes and to eight different sheltered/modified accommodation settings.  

Some of the bags are still available for people to collect for friends, neighbours and family members.  

Kirsty said: "Big thanks to Town Clerk Gareth Thomas for securing funding for the bags, Sharon Jones for the Welsh cakes and all the children of Ysgol Bryn Collen and Ysgol Y Gwernant for their fantastic poppy pictures.  

"Feedback in person and on Facebook has been fantastic, with several recipients reduced to tears." 

* Poppy messages which went inside the bags.

 

* Welsh cakes also went inside.