A £400,000 scheme to spruce up a run down part of Teignmouth in time for the summer season has been shunned by several shopkeepers. The enhancement scheme for Northumberland Place intends to make the area more pedestrian friendly, with more trees, seats and bike stands. Wider pavements will provide for a continental style café culture to appeal to locals and visitors. But despite several consultations being held, the traders came forward with their concerns after the scheme was approved by Devon County Council last Monday. Traders say that it is unlikely that the scheme will be finished in time for the busy summer season. They are also concerned about the loss of car parking spaces. They met with county councillor Chris Bray on Friday to air their concerns. Klub Video owner Chris Evans said: 'They want to make it the café district of the town. That maybe all right for three months of the year, but what about the rest of the time? 'The scheme is also supposed to be finished by the summer, but it is March now. The project is supposed to take three months but what if there are delays? The traffic will be terrible. 'We don't object to enhancement here, it needs it, but the plans need tweaking and we don't want them to rush in and cock it up. They have to get the details right.' Newsagent Jill Fairweather, of Fairweather News, said: 'Fortunately we do not just rely on the tourist trade and we have to think of our customers. 'It is vitally important that they will have access to the shops,' she said. Mrs Fairweather agreed that there was consultation, but she said she was 'overwhelmed by the number of officials, and I just couldn't find the right words to say how I felt about it,' she said. Cllr Chris Bray said: 'I believe that Devon County has consulted as fully as possible with local people and the town council and I also believe that this is a positive project which is a further step in the renewal of Teignmouth. 'I do recognise that real concerns have been brought to me, which, as the county councillor, it is my duty to deal with and I have taken up these concerns with the local service manager.'
