Suffolk County Council’s Love Woodbridge and Melton team held an engagement event in Woodbridge last week. We understand that many of you were disappointed by the event and there is a great deal of confusion about the project. Here is the latest press release from the team which we hope will help clarify a few points:
The Love Woodbridge and Melton project is a partnership between Suffolk County Council, East Suffolk Council, Woodbridge Town Council and Melton Parish Council, which aims to connect communities and create people-friendly streets for everyone to enjoy.
As part of the project, Suffolk County Council has so far secured more than £5million in funding from Active Travel England to develop walking and cycling schemes.
The county council has recently held engagement events in Woodbridge and Melton during which residents and visitors had the opportunity to find out more about the project and discuss how more people can be encouraged to get out and about and enjoy the local area on foot and by bike.
Last year, over a period of six months, Suffolk County Council completed a Feasibility Study which looked at traffic flows, current walking and cycling infrastructure, and people’s travel patterns to see what might work in the area. It also looked at best practice elsewhere in the UK, as well as in Europe, where they’ve embraced active travel and seen commerce and tourism benefit.
The interventions outlined in the Feasibility Study are proposals only and have not been finalised. They all support active travel, but the county council recognises that for some people cars are essential, and so none of the proposed interventions will prevent motorised access. The project is about creating more opportunities for residents to choose walking, cycling, and wheeling for some of their journeys. By giving people the opportunity to drive less and cycle and walk more, they will consequently enjoy cleaner air, safer streets, and less traffic and congestion.
Further work is needed to develop the interventions which involves more engagement with residents, businesses and visitors. This will include further engagement events, as well as a formal public consultation about the principles of the project, likely to take place at the end of the year.
Learn more about the background of the project here, follow Love Woodbridge and Melton on Facebook, or email lovewoodbridgeandmelton@suffolk.gov.uk for more information.
Please note that this project is being run by Suffolk County Council, not Melton Parish Council, although we are heavily involved as consultees and the project is discussed at every Full Council meeting.
