A new plan to ban cars from Witham's main shopping street is now on the cards.

The move comes this week as the town council backed a plea by a local historian and member of Witham's think tank, the Strategy Group, to pedestrianise the town centre.

With a new HGV and one-way traffic system for the main street also about to come into force, even though a previous scheme was scrapped after public consultation "time has moved on," says historian, Mrs Janet Gyford.

"These days it seems very primitive indeed to have to pick your way through noisy and smelly and also dangerous vehicles to get from one shop to another."

"It may be appropriate for the traffic people to rule the roost on the A12 and so on, but not in a town centre which is for people to shop and work in," she says.

New shopping developments planned for Newlands precinct will, says Janet Gyford, allow traffic to be re-routed without going through residential areas.

"Much of the opposition on the previous occasion was organised by people living in town centre roads who thought they would have more traffic. This new idea of using Newlands would avoid this.

"This matter is urgent and cannot just be shelved as a vague idea for the future, because there is substantial redevelopment planned adjoining Newlands. So a route of sufficient width for the route needs to be safeguarded before it is too late.

"Our descendants won't thank us if we give it away," she says.

Her idea, written as a letter commenting on Braintree District council's Transportation Strategy, won the backing of Witham council at their full council meeting on Monday).

OPTIONS

"There are a number of options to trial such a scheme, without making it irreversible," explained Leader of Witham council, Phil Barlow.

"Closing all of the High Street for short periods of time to coincide with shopping hours, or closing it for certain days of the week, for example.

"But we would have to do it on a step by step basis, taking into account the potential around planned development at Newlands precinct.

Support also came from Cllr Kerin Boylan saying: "I have no hesitation in supporting this proposal."

However, sole Con-servative on the council, Michael Lager voted against backing Mrs Gyford's pedestrianisation plea saying: "It seems to me to be going too far in supporting this plan.

"This decision flies in the face of public opinion made clear at previous consultation, and there is nothing to indicate that those views have changed."

The council's backing for Mrs Gyford's suggestion will now be forwarded onto Braintree district council.

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