Wilmslow Trust has unveiled their ideas for what the town centre could look like in 20 years time.
Martin Hoyle, Secretary of the Wilmslow Trust, presented proposals at this week's meeting of the Wilmslow Business Group.
These include the introduction of a shared space scheme in the town centre to discourage through traffic, reduce the dominance of vehicles and vehicle speeds by giving equal priority to pedestrians, cars and cyclists.
Shared space seeks to minimise demarcations between vehicles and pedestrians, often by removing features such as curbs, road surface markings, signs and other street clutter.
Mr Hoyle said "Our aims are to improve and maintain the character of Wilmslow and to encourage business, shopping and recreation to thrive, which in turn will make the environment a better place to live and shop.
"If you are making the whole of this area one colour of surface and sense of feeling it brings everyone together, which is what we think is important."
Wilmslow Trust are proposing that the shared space zone stretches from Sainsbury's on Alderley Road to the station, Bartholomew's Church and the junction of Kennerley's Lane on Water Lane. Entrance into the shared space would be marked by rumble strips and the surface of the area would be the same colour to indicate users are within the zone.
Mr Hoyle added "A shared surface is an area where nobody has priority. If you are only doing 10 miles an hour and nobody knows where they are then everybody looks out for each other.
"The big advantage is it allows access by car to the various car parks, it doesn't mean to say people can't park by the shops, its quite possible to allocate car parking areas as and where people think appropriate."
He told the business group members that this would all be dependent on the new SEMMMS airport relief road being built and assumes a heavy reduction in through traffic for Wilmslow.
Other ideas include closing Green Lane to traffic and creating a town square outside the back of Starbucks, with a communal area dedicated to Alan Turing, the wartime code-breaker and pioneer of computer science who lived in Wilmslow.
The Trust are also suggesting increasing the size of Sparrow Park at Banks Square, which can be used for markets and other events, extending and developing the library with a new entrance, creating Romany Walk, where Romany's caravan was previously located, and retaining all the green spaces, such as Rectory Fields, plus adding more greenery where possible.
Integral to the proposals is a transport hub located at Wilmslow Station with a bus interchange, better pedestrian routes to the town centre, a multi-storey car park located behind the offices and a reduction in car parking charges in the town.
Wilmslow Trust members were prompted by the Wilmslow Vision consultation to bring forward their ideas for both transforming and preserving elements of the town centre, before Cheshire East comes forward with proposals for the town centre, which could include the previously suggested lifestyle centre.
Martin Hoyle said "We've given a lot of thought to what Wilmslow might be like and what Wilmslow can do for itself over the next 20 years.
"Cheshire East have ideas for towns around Cheshire and we thought it would be better if we have our plan in place rather than have something imposed upon us which may not necessarily fit."
The Trust hopes their ideas will generate discussion.
Mr Hoyle told Wilmslow Business Group "We have consulted widely and we've had all sorts of reactions.
"We're trying to reach everybody. We're trying to get people's opinion, we want to produce a plan which we're happy with. It's for the people of Wilmslow to decide not councillors in Sandbach, half of whom don't live in Wilmslow.
"We're continuing to pick up information and we're continuing to modify it."
Click next photo above or play the slideshow for a selection of images showing Wilmslow Trust's vision for the town centre.
For further information email Martin Hoyle.
What do you think about these proposals? Would you like to see a shared space scheme introduced in Wilmslow? Share your views via the comment box below.
Comments
Here's what readers have had to say so far. Why not add your thoughts below.
The traffic sent out the centre of Wilmslow already marches its way down these residential roads at volumes and speed higher than should be tolerated.
Until the solution has been fully provided to the bypassing of Wilmslow Centre by excess traffic, this is all very pie in the sky. Let us improve the speed and weight on our local roads before spending a fortune on creating a "lovely" open space.
"If you are making the whole of this area one colour of surface and sense of feeling it brings everyone together, which is what we think is important"
This sort of daft pseudo design philosophy needs nipping in the bud, or else the town center will end up like a big bland carpark....
I also agree to the closing of Green Lane and making a feature of that corner of town. It will give us our town centre back.
Well done to Wilmslow Trust and Martin Hoyle for putting this forward. I hope you succeed. Good Luck.....
Since I live in the centre of Wilmslow I am a pedestrian in town, and I am appalled by the poor standard of driving in which the road design contributes towards the intimidation of pedestrians. I find it unusual not to see at least one vehicle going through a red light every time I walk through the town. Especially annoying when there's a clear queue of stationary traffic ahead, yet drivers still feel the need to speed through red lights anyway. Better and more imaginative road design would help enormously.
We also need to realise that there aren't going to be more cars in 20 years, so building hugely expensive car-friendly concrete monstrosities will be a waste of money.
The important thing here is to have a sensible discussion which doesn't preclude radical options from the start - let's embrace the radical as an option and then make rational decisions rather than rejecting it out of hand.
Wilmslow town centre is dying by the week with no real big name stores or restaurant chains able to afford the rent and rates so someone comes up with the great plan of stopping traffic or at the very least discouraging it.
People want convenience by way of just getting in the car and driving as close to where you want to go as possible. Grove Street has never recovered since it was pedestrianised.
There's no mention of lowering rates, free car parking or any other schemes to attract businesses or customers to the town. These people seem to be doing everything in their power to to destroy the retail experience of Wilmslow. Nothing was mentioned about the cost either. I shudder to think!
Fundamentally, we have to be using cars less and other means of transport more - the train, bikes, and buses use less energy, and if it is slower to go through the centre of Wilmslow by car, then we will look at alternatives.
After all, if we build a bypass, as sometimes seems a really good idea, someone else will come and build houses and a retail partk by it, so it gets congested, and then we need a new bypass...... When the place is heaving, like the Artisan Market, it feels like a good place to live - and it's people, not cars that bring it alive.
This slows everything down completely, particularly after 15.00 hours.
Also the picture of this area has been with a wide angle lense, which confuses things somewhat
Re the comment on traffic lights: Having made a mess of the lights at Station Road which are now blocked when a bus heading to Banks Square waits to turn right and the inability to program the lights at the top of Water Lane to assist traffic flow I have no confidence in any of the touted plans. The only interest is milking the public of funds in any way possible to then squander on pet plans for their own egos.
Motorists travelling from the Hazel Grove or Bramhall area towards Poynton or visa-versa- are now cutting across on the Woodford Road towards Woodford, to avoid the congestion.
To even consider introducing similar calming measures in Wilmslow; in my mind is stupidity! It will increase traffic congestion considerably, and danger to pedestrians. And, more than likely - reduce footfall and business to local shops. Probably, another place I will have to avoid!
Whether you are going for a coffee or pick something up or do a bit of shopping. The customer is constantly looking at their watch/phone and worried about getting a ticket and we lose a lot of business because of this. The next step would be some sort of validation system in the bigger parking lots regardless of where you shop. In the States, two hour free parking on or around high streets in small commuter towns is the norm. We need to create an easy, stress free environment for shoppers and visitors in the town.
Secondly, the future of Wilmslow must be small independent shops rather than chains. There has to be a point of difference and unmatchable friendly service that only independents can deliver. Someone already mentioned, Knutsford as a benchmark when it comes to independent shops and I agree. Plus you can drive down their main high street which someone pointed out in the above. Knutsford has a really nice rhythm and feel to it.
Finally, the rent issue is a huge obstacle but I cannot see how that can be resolved until more shops become empty but by then it could be too late. However rate relief is something that should be looked at asap (along with the lack of small business/local grants). I cannot believe that the last review on retail spaces in Wilmslow were conducted in 2008, retail has changed so much in 5 years. It's all fixable with the right shops and attitudes...here's hoping...
Shopping trends, vehicle movements and parking needs will not stay the same. The rise of out of town shopping centres and the internet are hitting all high streets and town centres in different ways. Who's to say some other form of technology won't appear in the next 20 years that will change this again.
How many of us had "mobile phones" 20 years ago.......? When was the last time you used a public telephone box? If somebody had suggested doing away with these 20 years ago I wonder what the outcry would have been then.
A friend of mine used to Work in Warren Street, London, W1, back in the 70's when it was full off car dealerships (Over 20). When I went to work just around the corner in 1988 there were less than 10. Last time I was there in 2000? there were only 2!
What once was doesn't always survive. Darwin called it evolution by "natural selection".
However, there have been many comments about confidence, lack of confidence and optimism and a distinct lack of enthusiasm. Who do we trust? I live, have lived, for nearly 40 years on Hawthorn St, a rat run since the council told us some years ago that the junction priority at the Carter Arms, originally a cross roads with Bedells Lane and Chapel Lane, was to be changed until the bypass was built to enable the flow of traffic through the village. What do we have now? Traffic chaos and residents being abused every day by drivers who see their route out of Wilmslow only being side roads.
I would, for one, rather see these very specific deeply local issues addressed before we embark on what looks very interesting and idealistic but doesn't address serious local issues. Excess speeds, over weight vehicles, pot holes, sinkage holes under the roads, excessive development of a village that has still not recovered, regarding infrastucture, since the last wave of development on the boundaries. Empty offices built by greedy developers, lack of arking fo workers occupying those offices...or not! Some bright sparks who think that adding more residential properties is going to help?. What and who? The coffers of the council I suspect not the well being of existing residents. There is so much more that we should be looking at changing and improving That is where imaginations and innovation should be being untilised. At this stage fancy schemes are hollow dreams and should wait until the basics are addressed. There is so much more we should be concentrating on.
Great to see imaginative ways to make the town more attractive to everyone. Wilmslow is not just a through route for motorists.
My experience of the Ponyton scheme as a motorist is that the traffic moves better than before, and as a cyclist it's much less intimidating place to cycle through than it was. There seems to be good evidence that these schemes make roads safer, not more dangerous eg http://bit.ly/Y3VVJn
And how about a 20mph limit on our residential streets while we're at it? Our space is for everyone, and at the moment those of us in cars can make life very difficult and dangerous for those who are not, particularly children.
Let's be open to new thinking.
This story gives the facts about the scheme: http://bit.ly/XIqIcJ
Great points Heidi. Hawthorn Lane and Hawthorn Street take a huge amount of traffic away from the centre of Wilmslow. I was only pointing out to my young son yesterday at 6pm the problems caused by altering priority by The Carters!!! If these "rat runs" were closed to the traffic passing through (to no benefit to Wilmslow) then the town centre would be gridlock morning and evening. When the new towns are built , (as they surely will be due to the profits involved) at Woodford, Handforth and the greenbelt somehow acquired by Manchester Council by the motorway, the volume of traffic will multiply. Let our visionaries tackle this first before planning grandiose schemes
Let's get on and do it!
Has there been a serious and straightforward traffic counter census been done?(Those with the rubber tube on the road surface)
If this was done in the various directions by Barclays Bank, at least there would be some accurate cogent figures of flows at differing times of the day, and not guess work
Martin Hoyle and The Wilmslow Trust have done just that. Pity about the naysayers. What is your solution/contribution to improving our Town Centre? And, by the way I am not talking about changes to car parking or rates or rents. No, it is imaginative thinking that is what is required to recognise that what we have in the built environment of our Town Centre is unnecessarily sad and in the absence of CEC showing any initiative on this topic, then well done Martin. You have started a debate.
Mao Tse Tung said "every march begins with the first step".
The Wilmslow Trust's ideas are just such a first step. But, it may be a long march!
Perhaps residents would like to continue the discussion at Transition Wilmslow's Open Space meeting Saturday morning?