Councillor Kevin Bentley, the head of Essex Highways, talks about the new "Safer, Greener, Healthier" plan for Colchester town centre.

HEALTH experts and leading cycling and walking campaigners have welcomed ambitious plans to make Colchester’s town centre streets safer, greener and healthier.

Responding directly to the current Covid-19 pandemic, the plans allow people to self-distance and still travel safely by creating new lanes for cycling and walking in Colchester.

The project will ensure areas of the town centre with some of the highest footfall are safe and healthy places to move through, following the easing of lockdown restrictions and the re-opening of shops and businesses.

Essex County Council and Colchester Council have taken their lead from many hundreds of people who have been cycling and walking more on short distances.

As a result, teams from the two councils have been working together to design and implement one of the first projects to make town centre public spaces safer for people.

Called Safer, Greener, Healthier, the schemes aim to provide bigger, safer spaces for city centre shoppers, residents, workers and visitors to be able to social distance.

Twenty mph limits, temporary barriers and signs providing shared spaces will be introduced on the High Street, Queen Street/ St Botolph’s, Head Street, St John’s Street and other town centre roads and on the vital corridor between the main railway station and town centre, including North Station Road and North Hill.

The project is funded by part of the initial £1.9million Emergency Active Travel Fund for Essex recently announced by the Government for such schemes.

The Colchester scheme, like others planned across Essex, is driven by immediate public health requirements, such as social distancing, but in encouraging walking and cycling, it will enable healthier and greener ways of getting around.

Elsewhere, the temporary mortuary at Chelmer Valley, outside Chelmsford, is to be taken down.

It was built in case there were more deaths during the coronavirus pandemic than hospitals and funeral directors in Essex, Southend and Thurrock could cope with.

The Essex Resilience Forum (ERF) has managed the countywide work around the greater-Essex fight against Covid-19 and established the site at the park and ride.

The site has been on standby since April 27, but has not been needed.

Chelmer Valley and the other park and ride sites are currently closed until the end of June.

A decision on when they can reopen is expected to be made this month.

This will be informed by the latest guidance on social distancing and travel as well as the latest situation and progress towards recovery in Greater Essex.

You can contact Kevin on 01206 382405 or e-mail Kevin@ N Flashback - Colchester High Street with cars using it birchandwinstree.com