Anger over Denbigh one-way system plans as almost 900 residents voice opposition
Angry residents in Denbigh say a council planned to install a one-way system without consulting residents or businesses beforehand.
Denbighshire council told councillors in June it was going “adapt traffic flows” in Denbigh, Rhyl, Llangollen and Ruthin by installing one-way systems and reducing on street parking – using £981,000 of Welsh Government cash from the Local Sustainable Transport Covid Response Fund.
It said this would encourage more walking and cycling and allow pedestrians to socially distance while making their way through town centres.
In Denbigh this means a one-way system will be created on Vale Street going past the car park, where it will change lanes and continue down to Lenton Pool.
Traffic will then use Barker’s Well Lane to filter back down towards the bottom of town via Grove Road and Station Road.
The council used emergency powers to push through the plans but there was no mention of a public consultation and businesses’ views were not sought beforehand.
Denbighshire council insists “No final decision has yet been taken and the works have not been ordered” but the scheme is in “advanced planning” and due to take place between August 31 and September 15, according to roadworks.org, which collates notices of works by agencies throughout the UK.
Now a petition has collected 870 signatures from people who oppose the scheme.
One resident, Pauline Edwards, believes the council has acted unfairly. She said: “I believe in fairness and justice and this has been rolled out without any consultation, especially to businesses.
“This is the main street of the town and businesses didn’t have any say in what was being done.”
The council started a 10-day consultation about it last Thursday, despite the council planning the works since at least May 29.
When asked why the authority had waited until there had been public disquiet before starting a consultation, a spokesman for Denbighshire council said: “The funding was confirmed in mid June.
“The Council then needed to work up the finer detail of the proposed scheme.”
The spokesman for Denbighshire council said it applied for the funding in May and “quickly put together an expression of interest for proposed schemes in Denbigh, Llangollen, Ruthin and Rhyl”.
With funding confirmed in mid-June it worked on the “finer detail of the proposed scheme”.
The spokesman added: “Once the consultation is completed, the responses will be considered and a decision taken at that point.”
Despite Ms Edwards saying she was told the council would only accept comments through the consultation portal on its website, the spokesman confirmed they would be accepted in other ways.
He added: “Written responses to the Local Sustainable Transport response to Covid-19 – Denbigh consultation can be submitted to Caledfryn, Smithfield Road, Denbigh LL16 3RJ.
“We will also be considering comments from the petition and any comments made on social media.”
By Jez Hemming – Local Democracy Reporter
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