PROTEST banners have appeared at St Botolph’s Circus in opposition to plans which could see the area paved over and turned into a crossroad.

Earlier this year, the Gazette revealed Colchester had received nearly £20 million in levelling up funding, a portion of which could go towards regenerating one of the city’s largest roundabouts.

In June, plans were set out which, if followed through, would see the area torn up and replaced with a new crossroads system which would include segregated cycle paths and walkways.

Now, banners reading ‘Save St Bot’s trees’ and ‘Let the trees live’ have appeared on the roundabout as members of the public voice their opposition to the environmental impact of the new crossroads scheme.

Gazette: Regeneration – the area has been identified as needing regeneration for several yearsRegeneration – the area has been identified as needing regeneration for several years (Image: Newsquest)

Clare Marsh, an activist who made and put up the banners, told the Gazette the new proposals from Colchester Council and County Hall lack imagination and value for money.

She said: "I think the loss of the 12 mature trees needs to be brought to the public’s attention; a lot of people don’t realise exactly what is proposed.

"The friends I have spoken to are looking at it from an environmental perspective – they are upset about the thought of these trees being removed and replaced with not a lot of trees in a pot, trees that will never reach that level of maturity.

"I think it’s unimaginative, and if you’ve got a functioning roundabout and system of underpasses, I don’t think that turning it into a surface level crossroad with everyone competing for the same bit of road is going to be efficient.

Gazette: Protest – the banners were put up on the roundabout earlier this weekProtest – the banners were put up on the roundabout earlier this week (Image: Public)

She continued: "I wonder whether the people who designed that plan have sat inside the roundabout and thought 'this is a clever idea' – I know the ramps are too steep and there are those awful steps, but with £12 million, surely they could fiddle around with the ramps or have some sort of bridge.”

In response, a spokesman for Essex County Council said no final decisions have been made.

He said: "The public consultation on the proposals for St Botolph’s Circus in Colchester closed at the end of July.

"Feedback from this consultation is still being analysed and will be taken into account when the final proposals for the scheme are drawn up.

"No final decisions regarding trees, or any other elements of the scheme, have yet been made."