Key issues for Kenilworth's Borrowell Ward are traffic and parking issues

With 13 new councillors recently taking office on the Kenilworth Town Council the Kenilworth Weekly News is profiling each of the town’s five wards, and the councillors within in each ward.
Kenilworth Town Councillors for the Borrowell Ward: (from left) Alan Chalmers, Kate Dickson and Graham Hyde.Kenilworth Town Councillors for the Borrowell Ward: (from left) Alan Chalmers, Kate Dickson and Graham Hyde.
Kenilworth Town Councillors for the Borrowell Ward: (from left) Alan Chalmers, Kate Dickson and Graham Hyde.

Readers can learn about each councillor and the key issues they believe face their ward. This week’s edition will feature the councillors from the Borrowell Ward.

Click on the following link to read about the issues facing the Abbey Ward.

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Cllr Alan Chalmers, who was recently elected to office, works as a professor at the University of Warwick. He leads a research group investigating visualisation and perception (High Dynamic Range imaging), and also the creation of highly authentic multi-sensory virtual experiences for a range of applications, including car design and virtual archaeology. He moved to Kenilworth with his wife and three children in March 2007. He said ‘inconsiderate’ parking and speeding motorists were some of the key issues facing the Borrowell Ward.

Cllr Chalmers added: “Parking that blocks pavements and junctions is a particular problem during events in Kenilworth, such as the fireworks show at the castle. Cars rushing through the back streets have resulted in a number of cats being killed and bicyclists having ‘near misses.’ We need to think how we can realistically limit the speed people drive through the area.

“There are many new developments planned for Kenilworth in the coming years, and we so need to listen carefully to residents and deal with the developments carefully to ensure the charm and quality of life in Kenilworth is not affected as we grow for the future.”

Cllr Kate Dickson has served as a councillor for eight years, and served as mayor from 2017 to 2018. She also became a district councillor on May 2. She has lived in Kenilworth since 1991, and has three daughters who grew up and went to school in Kenilworth. Her husband, Richard Dickson, also serves on the town council. She works as a midwife in Leamington.

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Cllr Dickson said: “The key issues I see in the ward are making sure that we hear the voices of local residents and that they find Kenilworth a great place to live. Traffic in the town centre and inconsiderate parking are issues that are often mentioned, as are the improvement of leisure facilities and the outdoor pool. We know that there is going to be a lot of development taking place in Kenilworth over the next twenty years and the move of some of the sports club facilities will affect Borrowell ward. I know it is essential that consideration be given to the quality of life for neighbours of the development.”

Cllr Graham Hyde, who was recently elected, helped start the campaign group, A Station for Kenilworth, which ended when the town’s new railway station re-opened last year. He uses the train to commute to work in Warwick where he works as an IT data analyst. He has been a Kenilworth resident since 1985, and is married with two daughters who grew up and attended school in town.

Cllr Hyde said of the key issues facing the ward include dangerous parking on narrow roads, access issues for facilities at Castle Farm, vandalism at the rail station and congestion on Warwick Road resulting in pollution issues.

Cllr Hyde said: The issues related to Borrowell Ward show what a diverse ward it is, as it includes the town centre from the station out to the western edge.”

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