Local Development Framework Consultation

The Local Development Framework Core Strategy Document adopted by SLDC in October 2010 said this of Grange-over-Sands:

‘5.13 Grange-over-Sands is a highly walkable and compact town. However it suffers from problems associated with the impact of the private car on the built environment. For pedestrians, the Grange-over-Sands environment is noticeably poor. In general terms, footpaths are narrow and there is a strong sense that the car is the dominant feature on Kents Bank Road and Main Street. Improving linkages, infrastructure and the quality of the pedestrian environment are key priorities.’

‘5.26 The area strategy for Cartmel Peninsula aims to address the following challenges:
Improving the quality of the pedestrian environment is a priority for Grange.’

‘5.32 Given the problem of town centre congestion in Grange at peak times, it is imperative that improvements are made to reduce dependency on private car use. Significantly higher traffic levels could well threaten the core economic activity of the town, namely tourism. Developers of major sites will be required to contribute to the improvement of local bus services, with the aim of providing good quality integration between modes and services.’

‘Cartmel Peninsula Tomorrow – The quality of the pedestrian environment in Grange-over-Sands has improved, including...the town centre.’

‘How we will get there – The Council and its partners will aim to improve the pedestrian experience of Grange town centre.’

As it is now over 7 years since the Core Strategy was adopted it is pertinent to ask what action has been taken to improve the quality of the pedestrian environment in Grange as a key priority. The answer is – absolutely nothing. In fact the situation as described in 2010 has only been exacerbated by the increase in private cars associated with 149 additional households across 3 new housing developments. Neither is there any evidence of improvements to local bus services funded by contributions from any of the 3 developers.

So what is the town centre environment for residents and visitors?
Significant stretches of Main Street and Kents Bank Road have all the visual attraction of a badly planned linear car park.
Traffic flow through the town is regularly disrupted both by vehicles attempting to parallel park in the on-street parking bays or having to negotiate badly parked and oversized vehicles obtruding into the roadway. Pedestrians in their turn are subject to a barrage of vehicles manoeuvring at low speed creating higher levels of pollution. As a pedestrian it is often necessary to take evasive action to avoid vehicles mounting the pavement. This latter problem can impact particularly on those less mobile or with young children.
The situation in Kents Bank Road with the combined effect of two-way traffic, on street parking bays and narrow pavements is particularly chaotic as anyone who has travelled through Grange by bus will have experienced. On at least 2 occasions I have been brushed by moving vehicles when walking on a narrow stretch of pavement in Kents Bank Road.

The GOSNP acknowledges that there is a problem:

‘Objective 2. Improve town centre safety and accessibility for non-car users and those with mobility problems.’

‘2.2.5 Within the town, the pedestrian experience and quality of the built environment has suffered as a result of the impact of greater car usage.’
‘3.3.1 The SLDC Core Strategy states the importance of...improving the pedestrian experience in the town centre.’

‘4. Challenges – The pedestrian experience and quality of the built environment has suffered as a result of the impact of greater car usage, and access into and through the town itself is limited due to the geography’.

With the problem identified it is disappointing to note that the GOSNP is noticeably devoid of any practical proposals to provide a solution. Indeed in contrast with the vision for ‘Cartmel Peninsula Tomorrow’ in the CS document the GOSNP does not make mention of an improved experience for pedestrians in its 4.2 Vision for Grange. Section 5.1.8 refers to ‘A “joining up” of the two distinct shopping areas’ with no suggestion as to how this could be achieved.

Challenging problems require radical solutions and one thing that would improve the town centre experience for residents and visitors alike would be a radical and imaginative traffic management scheme. This could include, but not be limited to:

1. Extending the existing one way system to create a clockwise circulatory route along The Esplanade and Kents Bank Road.
2. Abolishing all on street parking bays with the exception of a few strategically sited for mobility users.
3. A combination of the above would facilitate the widening of pedestrian pinch points and restoring our pavements for the exclusive use of pedestrians etc.
4. Transforming the section of Main Street from Crown Hill to the junction with Kents Bank Road into a paved traffic free zone with appropriate provision for exempt vehicles.
5. Imposing a 20mph speed restriction through the town centre.
6. Imposing a weight restriction through the town centre.
7. Transforming Main Street from the junction with Windermere Road into a continental style paved shared space with appropriate restrictions and parking exemptions.
8. Extending the continental style shared space to include Kents Bank Road to the junction with Cross Street or even Park Road.

My vision for Grange is a town centre through which traffic flows freely at a safe speed with low levels of pollution, where I can walk safely along a pavement without having to avoid road traffic or badly parked vehicles and where I can enjoy the amenities of our conservation area without feeling that I am in the middle of a linear car park.

Ken Taylor
Grange-over-Sands
17.2.18