WE were interested to see the three positive letters regarding the Queen Street pedestrianisation decision in last week's edition of the Mid-Devon Advertiser, writes Newton Abbot Civic Society.

It was uplifting, and of course, who wouldn’t want a green and healthy town centre?

Some points we’d like to raise (the letter from the councillor would need its own response). 

Of concern among the controversies is not so much the obvious benefit of encouraging pedestrians, or planting trees in the heart of the town, but the wider, knock-on effects that frequently go unconsidered.

One of the letters was written by resident living near East Street, who in their enthusiasm for the project seemed unconcerned by the potential increase in traffic, pollution and noise to this road, with its primary school almost in the middle. 

The Avenue will also be affected; both are residential roads. Electric vehicles, ever more prevalent, are heavier and larger than older vehicles, creating a weight impact on existing roads (see pothole crisis, chapter infinity). They are also cleaner in theory, for those considering the air quality argument.

East Street runs parallel to Queen Street, and is the only direct through route coming off the Penn Inn roundabout if you are heading towards the South Hams, Plymouth or Cornwall, or vice versa.

Side roads that will be closed off to vehicles by this scheme risk amplifying bottlenecks elsewhere, and there do not seem to be any firm plans to fund or address this.

Whilst it may be a national trend to pedestrianise town centres, each town is different and unique, and so needs unique plans and ways to implement these ideas. 

Led by government, and with multi million pound sums as carrots, councils often duly follow through with schemes that are propelled from this higher level. As mentioned in one letter, multiple policies advocate the need for sustainability. What is missing is the finer detail. 

Needless to reference Paignton or Totnes as painful and expensive examples of fallout, or the slow and desolate decline of Torquay town centre. 

The argument that there are plenty of existing parking places in the town does not acknowledge that most of our town centre car parks have been included in the current, ongoing Local Plan Review, with proposals to build houses on parts of most of them. A hotel has permission to be built on Halcyon Road car park, and there is a new proposal to build homes on the private Sherborne House car park. 

Given that we are a nation who like convenience, once the ‘pop and shop’ availability is removed (55 per cent loss of parking spaces: the sight of vehicles lining one or both sides of Queen Street, on a 24-hour basis is well known), who is to say people on their way home, or passing through will not think, it will take too long to park and walk into town, I will just go elsewhere.

Do those who are looking forward to a cleaner Queen Street, never go to an out of town store? (Trago, or Sainsburys, B&Q, Aldi, Next, Matalan, Halfords etc in Kingsteignton?).

These busy, economically successful and large, out-of-town stores all have one thing in common: substantial and often free car parking, almost at the door. 

As it stands, we risk an impact on our brilliant small businesses, which people use and enjoy, with no safety net for them should this project not go as intended.  

NADCS along with the town council held out for the retention of the loading bay where Poundland is, in order that those businesses could continue to navigate their daily deliveries. (Without resolving the objections, it would have been forced to go to Judicial Review). 

We have our own 101-year-old fishmongers (not many towns can boast of this),  department stores from Austins to WH Smiths, Cressicks eco store where you can refill everything from shampoo to laundry liquid to dried foods, Percys fabric shop, Bekra independent toy shop, The Foot Store for shoes and podiatry service, Citizens Advice Bureau, market hall and outdoor stalls every week (food, flowers, clothes, bric a brac), Phoenix independent record store, Electrowise independent IT store, Hays travel agents, two independent jewellers (Gerrys, Silver Lion), Westcountry Books independent book store, delicatessen (Plot Deli), Snappy Snaps digital and photo store, plenty of pubs and office based companies – insurance, solicitors, estate agents and so on.

This names only a few, and is a reminder that our town is varied and far from dead, even if according to some it looks ‘tired’.

It is vital that we keep these smaller, unique businesses succeeding in these difficult times. To exclude cars is also to encourage them to go where it is easier, and feed the ever growing, ever larger out of town stores that are spreading into our rural spaces.

In short, we urge people to see beyond the immediate, and to consider what keeps an ancient market town alive, and what protection there is for its unique character. 

Historic images as far back as the late 1800s show Newton Abbot full of traffic, from horse and cart, to the early models of cars.

It may have been filthy, but it was thriving and full of beautiful architecture. Things change, but we are all responsible in these decisions. The scheme now goes to Cabinet at Devon County Council on July 12, for agreement.

► You can contact NADCS on [email protected] or facebook.com/newtonabbotcivicsociety