THE SHOCKING state of the pavements on Leamington’s Parade could finally be dealt with as part of a town centre masterplan.
Over the past decade The Observer has regularly reported on the issue of the hundreds of uneven and cracked paving slabs on the town’s main street.
But the patchwork pavements have become worse despite Warwickshire County Council forking out thousands of pounds a year on repairs.
Townspeople have also regularly taken to social media to highlight what has been referred to as an “embarrassment” to the town.
Recent comments from residents include, “It’s a mess uneven, cracked, lumps of tarmac where slabs should be”.
Also, “It’s a real danger to the elderly, and not so elderly. There are so many cracked slabs which are tremendous trip hazards”.
And, “We urgently need the pavements repaired. And that needs to come with enforcement of the by-law prohibiting parking on the pavement”.
Vehicles parking on the pavements, including large delivery lorries, has been a major contributor to the problem. Bollards were talked about as a possible solution but never appeared.
Hopes for a solution once and for all to the long-standing issue now rest with Leamington Transformation Board.
Consisting of Warwickshire county, Warwick district and Leamington town councils, together with consultants and an advisory group of key stakeholders, LTB is been working on a new vision for Leamington town centre.
It is working with public and private sector organisations to reinvigorate old buildings, bring jobs and people to the town centre, improve access, and create attractive and safe public spaces.
A LTB spokesperson told The Observer: “A number of respondents to the engagement exercise on the masterplan commented on the state of Parade’s pavements.
“We will be taking all feedback received into consideration as we work on more detailed designs for the Parade. This will include the full involvement of Warwickshire County Council which is the authority responsible for maintaining pavements.
“The county council inspects all pavements on a monthly basis and responds to any reports received between inspections. Anything that is potentially unsafe is repaired in a very short timescale.
“The Parade is like many high streets where heavy delivery vehicles drive onto pavements or offload onto them which can cause slabs to crack or move. Longer term, the transformation project will help this a great deal.
“In the meantime, the council is looking to alter its highways contract to allow greater flexibility in how repairs to paving slabs can be carried out which will also see improvements to the pavements.”
