A MAJOR bid to tackle congestion in the heart of Evesham has been unveiled by the town’s Civic Society in a bid to exploit the town’s heritage and history, the Observer can reveal.
Vale of Evesham Civic Society bosses will present their ideas in full at a public meeting on Thursday (April 4) at the Town Hall from 7pm.
The ambitious scheme aims to introduce a major one-way system, parking areas, pedestrian crossings, shopping areas and new speed limits around Evesham town centre.
Among the ideas on offer are mini roundabouts on Greenhill at the junction with Worcester Road while all traffic heading into town will be diverted left along Swan Lane.
The one way system would proceed along Mill Street with a mini roundabout offering access and an exit from the Riverside Shopping Centre and all traffic will head over the bridge towards Port Street which will remain a two-way street.
Waterside would be made into a one-way street with access to Coopers Lane via a mini roundabout while traffic leaving Coopers Lane would only be allowed to turn left towards the Abbey Bridge.
At the bride, traffic would be asked to turn left towards Cheltenham on the A4184, go straight on towards Pershore or turn right to continue the one-way system which would be extended up Abbey Road, according to the plans.
Traffic leaving the Leisure Centre and other buildings to the west of Abbey Road would be asked to turn left to follow the one-way system.
Society chiefs want to see all traffic lights in the centre of town axed and replaced with raised pedestrian crossings and claimed taxi bays should be shrunk and scattered around town. A 20mph speed limit should also be introduced for the whole town centre, according to the blueprint.
As part of their masterplan, the society has also raised the question of a new hospital for the town on land to the north of Evesham and said the existing Community Hospital should be developed as a ‘riverside car park with quality apartments, flats and houses overlooked the meadows’.
Society chairman James Powell said: “Evesham is a beautiful small town with great offering for tourism and quality houses on the outskirts enabling visitors to travel to the Cotswolds, Cheltenham and neighbouring counties.”
“We have the opportunity to make Evesham a beautiful place for people to relax and enjoy the riverside together with absorbing the abbey site.
“Evesham’s future will undoubtedly rely for a larger extent on its heritage and history, the infrastructure must be dealt with before any major development takes place in the town centre,” he added.
* E-mail [email protected] with your views.
