Changes are coming to Leamington town centre's road layout to 'assist recovery'

This will provide additional space for pedestrians to safely circulate, for customers to queue outside shops, whilst balancing other considerations such as deliveries, residents access and maintaining disabled parking.

The scheme includes closing The Parade between Clarendon Avenue and Regent Grove, Warwick Street between Tavistock Street and Guy Street, and Regent Street between Bedford Street and Park Street. The scheme also involves the temporary suspension of some on-street parking, reducing Bath Street to a single lane of traffic and the creation of a ‘pop-up’ cycle route running between Regent Grove and Hamilton Terrace.

The space created by a combination of lane closures and the suspension of some on-street parking will create areas for customers waiting for shops to queue whilst allowing pedestrians to circulate safely.

Access will be maintained for loading, deliveries and collections, with marshals being located at selected road closure points, as businesses continue to rely on this to operate.

It is hoped that the schemes will be introduced next week to coincide with the reopening of non-essential shops from 15 June.

Traffic management equipment such as cones and barriers will be used to safely segregate people from motor traffic.

The councils have plans to work with local art groups to consider options for improving the appearance of barriers to ensure the distinctive look and feel of the town can be retained.

As hospitality businesses open, the space created may allow them to increase their outside tables to accommodate the social distancing requirements.

Councillor Jeff Clarke, Warwickshire County Council’s portfolio holder for transport and planning, said: “We have been working with our key partners to bring forward these plans to temporarily change road layouts as part of our response to the public health crises created by COVID-19 and to reinvigorate our town centres and support the economic recovery.

"We have had to act swiftly which has prevented widespread community engagement, but we will be monitoring the scheme carefully and will adapt them as necessary to ensure they remain suitable and appropriate to local needs and conditions.

“The plans will help businesses operate, give the public confidence that they can safely return to use and enjoy the town centres and give our businesses and communities a much-needed boost.”

Warwick District Council’s portfolio holder for business, Councillor Richard Hales, added: “The past three months have been tough for our retailers, particularly those who have been forced to close completely.

"The Council is now doing everything it can to support our local economy as our shops and town centre businesses start to reopen. We hope that the temporary measures put in place will allow this to continue and give those re-visiting our towns the outside space they need to enjoy a safe environment.”

The five Warwickshire County Councillors who represent Leamington for the Liberal Democrats, Green Party and Labour respectively, have said: "The implications of COVID-19 are not going to go away quickly.

"Therefore it’s vital that we find ways to give people space to move around our town centre safely.

"These proposals aim to do that. They are temporary, but also flexible.

"When they go ahead, we would encourage residents to contact us and the Council to tell us how they work on the ground.

"Please tell us what you do and you don’t like. If parts of them don’t work as intended we have been assured that they can be changed with relative ease.

"So often road projects can be top down and difficult to change once put in place.

"This is a chance for us as residents and businesses to influence what happens in the town centre, so that we can respect each other, feel safe and help our local shops to recover after the long closure."

Clean Air for Leamington and Clean Air Warwick have welcomed the proposed WCC schemes in their respective towns.

Group member Cllr Susan Rasmussen said: "Since CAfL and CAW started we have wanted to ‘change the way we travel to and move around our town’.

"We hope these temporary measures will lead to lasting changes in travel networks and modes which will in turn result in better air quality for everyone.

"We regard it as vital that WDC and WCC swiftly implement further temporary measures to encourage walking and cycling between different parts of our towns so that we move a significant number of local trips and commutes to more healthy active travel.

In particular, there needs to be a focus on the routes to and from local schools so that we can improve the air quality where our children gather.

"We would also like to see many other aspects of the Government’s May 9th Statutory Guidance to local authorities implemented, such as extensive 20mph limits in built up areas, and properly segregated cycleways where 30mph limits are deemed necessary.

"The Secretary of State for Transport is urging local authorities to take the opportunity for ‘once in a generation' step-changes in the way we move around our towns: he says planning decisions should be in favour of greener, healthier travel options and brought forward as a matter of urgency.

"We agree."