Local Sustainable Transport response to Covid-19 - Denbigh
Why are we doing this?
This consultation ran from 10th to 26th July 2020, it is now closed. You can read the original consultation and our findings below.
Finding a 'new normal' for Denbigh town centre
In May 2020, Welsh Government put out a call for expressions of interest from local authorities to bid for funding to make short-term, temporary changes to town centres that will help to make them feel safe and welcoming. The council submitted expressions of interest for proposed schemes in Denbigh, Llangollen, Ruthin and Rhyl.
On 21st June 2020, the council launched a survey to find out how businesses and residents felt about town centres beginning to re-open. Early responses indicate that businesses are quieter than they usually would be for the time of year, and that residents are generally nervous about returning to town centres. Many respondents indicated that they were only visiting town centres to carry out essential tasks and over half of respondents who left a comment expressed concerns about pavement widths and the inability to safely practice social distancing. The survey is ongoing and can be accessed here.
The survey responses received to date suggest that the range of propsals which the council submitted to Welsh Government are appropriate and proportional to the scale of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. Welsh Government has approved funding for the proposals, however the council would like to consult with the local community before any final decision on the scheme is made.
In summary, the proposals for Denbigh are to:
1. Support social distancing in Vale Street, High Street, and Bridge Street by introducing a one-way traffic system to the town centre. This will enable pavements to be widened in problem areas
2. Temporarily relocate Denbigh market from Hall Square to the High Street (where it used to be). This is because a large amount of Hall Square is currently inaccessible due to ongoing works on the former Crown Hotel, and will allow stalls to spread out further.
3. To support pubs, cafés and restaurants on Vale Street and High Street to create outside seating areas where it is practicable to do so.
4. To acknowledge the increased interest in active travel and associated health benefits, and to encourage and support people to choose active travel as a means of getting about in the town centre by implementing infrastructure changes which make active travel easier
5. To temporarily impose a 20mph speed limit along Park Street, Beacon's Hill and Grove Road, in case the one-way system leads to an increase in traffic along these routes.
Further details on the proposals are available to download below:
1. Local Sustainable Transport Response to Covid-19: Proposals for DENBIGH (PDF)
2. Map of the proposed changes (PDF)
What do we want to know?
Tell us what you think!
We would be grateful if you could help us to understand how you feel about the proposed scheme by filling in the survey linked below.
If the proposed scheme (or a modified version of it) goes ahead, we will continue to collect your feedback and the scheme will be monitored very closely.
Location:
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Start date
09 July 2020
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End date
26 July 2020
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Methods
Consultation Event
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Supplier
Denbighshire County Council
What we found out
The Council received a total of 911 responses to this consultation. Of these, approximately 79% of respondents were against the proposed temporary scheme. The Council is also aware of an e-petition against the proposed temporary scheme with approximately 1,300 signatures although at the time of writing no petition or e-petition has been submitted to the Council for consideration.
The response data was collated and presented to the Denbigh Member Area Group (MAG), a group of County Councillors for the Denbigh area. The reports can be accessed below:
1. Report to MAG (PDF)
2. Engagement Summary Report (PDF)
3. Detailed data report (PDF)
What difference has it made?
Related documents
