Council stand on street closure crumbling |
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News from Carmarthen -- Council stand on street closure crumbling |
Welcome to the Town of Carmarthen! |
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30/09/2006 Council stand on street closure crumbling |
| CONTROVERSIAL plans to partially close a town's main street to traffic may be shelved after huge opposition. |
Carmarthenshire County council yesterday admitted it was in talks with developers over the possibility of keeping Carmarthen's St Catherine Street open.
Plans are on the table to bring a new Debenhams store, market hall, multi-screen cinema and shopping and leisure complex to the town in a ?50m project.
But they have so far hinged on closing the street, which divides the Debenhams site, where the market sits and the rest of the development on the old cattle mart site, between 9.30am and 5pm everyday except Sunday.
Locals have vociferously objected to the pedestrianisation plan, saying it would turn surrounding roads into chaotic rat-runs.
The authority has insisted traffic flows would improve, with more vehicles likely to use the bypass instead of going through the town.
But now council chief executive Mark James has confirmed he is in discussions with developers Simons and Debenhams.
He said, "Given the council's previous unanimous decision to leave the market on the south of St Catherine Street, retailers, including Debenhams, indicated that they would only come to the development if they were part of the town centre and therefore the restriction of through traffic for a 50m stretch of road between 9.30 and 5pm is a condition of the scheme proceeding.
"Numerous retailers are now committed to the scheme and a constructive dialogue is on-going.
"It appears that people who were previously not in favour, now wish it to go ahead, but clearly the issue of partial pedestrianisation remains a hot topic of controversy.
"We are working to see if we can find a way forward that everyone is happy with, although we accept this may not be possible." |
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