Stratford-upon-Avon town centre proposals

The key elements of the town centre proposals are: 

• Traffic will still be able to travel through the town centre and buses will continue to use Bridge Street, however priority will be given to pedestrians and cyclists over motorised traffic. 
• We expect the proposals to significantly town centre traffic, but traffic will use alternative roads resulting in some localised increases in traffic and journey times. These impacts are not expected to be significant and are considered acceptable on the basis of the improvements it will deliver to the town centre and that the roads which will experience the increase in traffic are more suited to carrying traffic. 
• A wide central walkway will be created on Bridge Street to provide more space for pedestrians and a better connection between Henley Street and Waterside, using space created by narrowing the road, removing parking and relocating the taxi ranks to Union Street.
• High Street will be closed to traffic daily between 11am and 4pm and the pavements widened on both sides of the street. General parking will be removed, but some blue badge spaces will be available when the street is open to traffic. Some small, landscaped areas could be provided on the street.
• The shape of the Bridge Street / High Street roundabout will be changed and a new pedestrian crossing through the centre of roundabout provided to connect Henley Street to the central walkway. 
• Pedestrians will have more opportunities to safely cross the road. New courtesy crossings will be provided where drivers are expected to give way to pedestrians, whilst narrower roads, reduced kerb heights and lower vehicle speeds and less traffic will make it easier for pedestrians to cross in other locations. 
• The 20mph speed limit introduced in 2020 to support social distancing in the town centre will be kept.
• The overall appearance and feel of the streets will be similar to Waterside with low kerbs, attractive surfaces and some appropriate planting. 
• The town centre will be more suitable for cycling. The proposals are consistent with LTN 1/20 which is the best practice guide for developing high quality cycling infrastructure.
• Bus stops will be kept on Bridge Street.

What are the drawbacks of the proposals?

• All general pay and display and evening on-street parking is removed from Bridge Street, High Street and Union Street. This is a reduction of approximately 46 spaces between 8am and 6pm and 60 spaces in the evening and overnight. 
• A slight worsening of air quality on some roads on the edge of the town centre due to increased traffic flow, however air quality within the town centre where the highest concentration of pedestrians is.
• Some motorists will experience increases in their journey times due to having to take a longer route and there being more traffic on these routes.
• Taxi ranks will be removed from Bridge Street.
• The closure of High Street to traffic daily between 11am and 4pm and the narrowing of roads will make it harder for businesses to receive or send out deliveries.
• Any permanent landscape features such as trees or shrubs could have an impact on the operation of events such as the Mop Fair.

How will these be minimised?

• There is currently parking availability across the town and a parking strategy is being developed which is considering how parking will be provided across the town in the future. The proposals for the town centre prioritise blue-badge parking. There are currently 14 blue badge spaces across Bridge Street, High Street and Union Street. The proposals provide nine blue badge parking spaces in Union Street at all times with a further four spaces in High Street daily between 4pm and 11am.
• Providing improved pedestrian and cycle infrastructure to encourage people who live locally to walk or cycle to the town centre.
• The timings of traffic lights will be managed to support the movement of traffic and balance queue lengths. 
• The existing taxi rank on Union Street will be extended to provide space for nine taxis. This will reduce the overall space on taxi ranks in Bridge Street, High Street and Union Street from 10 to 9.
• One of the bus bays on Bridge Street will also be available for loading. 
• Landscape features could be moveable.