Cuts threaten plan to pedestrianise (From The Oxford Times)

Cuts threaten plan to pedestrianise

1:00pm Friday 30th July 2010 in

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A CONTROVERSIAL plan to pedestrianise Bicester’s Market Square has been put on hold amid massive council spending cuts.

Oxfordshire County Council has confirmed its £750,000 share of the £1m scheme is just one of a host of projects that have been suspended pending a review.

The move comes as the council revealed it expected to lose 30 per cent of its annual Government grant and would have to make cuts totalling tens of millions of pounds.

Cherwell District Council was due to put the remaining £250,000 into the scheme.

Now local traders have called on councillors to use the time to look again at the options for the square and choose a more viable design.

The two councils are considering removing 34 short-term, paid-for spaces in the square as part of a redesign.

Shops, restaurants and businesses have joined forces to condemn the plans, fearing they will be bad for trade and residents.

Lynn Wright, of Bicester Bed Centre, said: “I feel the public needs to know how much of Bicester town centre will be paved when the new development is complete.

“With our petition standing at more than 3,000 this matter is obviously of great importance to the community.

“Surely they should be prepared to spend a small amount of money to re-do the consultation rather than make a £750,000 mistake.”

Mrs Wright stressed traders wanted to see the Market Square improved, but with one-way traffic and parking retained – Option A.

But a public consultation last November showed the preferred choice was Option C – for all 34 short-term car parking spaces to be removed, the north side of the square pedestrianised and two-way traffic on the south side.

About 10 short-term free parking spaces would be retained and the scheme would also include public art, crossing points, new paving, and street furniture.

District and county councillor Norman Bolster said: “Every capital project within the county council has been suspended pending review.

“The important ones, like Cooper School which were decided earlier, have gone through. The rest of them we will not know until the autumn.”

A new library for the town is also under review. Mr Bolster said: “If I had to choose between the two, I would choose to keep the library.”

Cherwell’s executive appr- oved Option C in May this year, and county councillors will be asked to give approval to the design later this year.