The Council will be opening up a link between Northspur Road and the By Pass, providing a safe pedestrian route for parents taking children to Westbourne School and for residents shopping at Tesco’s.  The plan is to resurface the underutilised footpath by the side of Access Self Storage, add a drainage gulley, some bollards and provide an access through the fence at the end of Northspur Road.  The plan can be see here.

Some residents adjoining the footpath had expressed concerns that the footpath would attract anti-social behaviour, especially in the evenings.  As a result we asked the Police Crime Prevention unit to visit, which they did.  They thought the footpath would be adequately lit and did not see a need for CCTV.  They did not forsee any problems, however, we will keep this under review.

Westbourne Primary School has supported this scheme.  They have many families who regularly walk down the by-pass from their homes and this will make the journey much easier and more importantly safer.  The school also encourages parents to park and stride from Tesco’s and with this link in place they are sure many more parents will use this option.  Walking to school has been recognized as an important factor in reducing obesity, as well as reducing traffic congestion.

The work is planned to start on 13th February and expected to take three weeks.  During this period the footpath will be closed.