Plans for March Broad Street will be 'nail in the coffin' for town say traders
Business owners have slammed plans labelled as a 'once in a life time opportunity' to revamp March town centre amid fear the move will lose shoppers and cause traffic chaos.
Linzi Betts and Gary Richmond who took on running one of the town's oldest established shops - Malletts Jewellers- earlier this year say they may have to seriously consider the future of their business if radical plans to change the layout of Broad Street go-ahead.
The couple have been in dispute with Fenland District Council over the proposals over a lack of what they describe as proper consultation - an accusation denied by the authority who argue there has been various consultation events since spring 2019.
The proposals will see Mallets side of the street pedestrianised, with the historic Fountain relocated directly outside their shop and the other side of Broad Street turned into two-way traffic flow.
They say they have had little or no consultation over the proposals and say they are not alone with many of their fellow traders also saying they have not been consulted on the plans.
Linzi said: "Businesses certainly weren't consulted, if they were, where is this document for everyone to read? the council says it has sent out letters to businesses, but when I went round to neighbouring shops no one seemed to have received one.
"It seems their argument is that only a small amount of people have voiced their disproval of the plans therefore it is going ahead whatever.
"We are not against making the town prettier, and no one is arguing that it doesn't need a revamp. But the plans to move the Fountain directly outside our shop seems to have come as a big shock to many people.
"Many of our customers said they had no idea what was being planned. The idea of creating a pedestrianised area on our side of Broad Street and reducing the traffic to just one side of the road will cause traffic problems.
"They say the move is to try to cut traffic flow through the town, but all it is going to do is funnel it down one lane in each direction. The plans will also see the loss of the centre parking in Broad Street, and that will have a major impact on shoppers coming into the town.
"We estimate there are at least 1,000 cars using those spaces each week, if they are taken away then it may well put those people off coming into town.
"We are 100% against this dreadful waste of money, and believe it will be the final nail in the coffin for March. Our shop is 100 years old next year, we will make it to the anniversary, but if this goes ahead we will have to seriously consider our future.
"They are planning to spend £8.4m, but what is the point of prettying it up by opening the river frontage up and things like that when there are so many empty premises - they should be looking to address that problem first.
"Our other biggest fear is the traffic changes, which are being made on the back of a transportation consultation which took place before the pandemic, will be carried out, but the rest of the scheme won't happen because they will run out of money.
"The problem March has is the lack of infra-structure, we have one river crossing in the town and that is an old bridge.
"We all know what happens when there's either an issue in town or on the by-pass - it is just mayhem, this scheme is just going to add to that. There is a general feeling among March residents, who have spoken out on Facebook, that this scheme is unnecessary and will harm the town."
A Fenland Council spokesperson said: “The planned projects for March town centre have been shaped by community consultation undertaken as part of Fenland District Council’s Growing Fenland report on March in 2019 and Cambridgeshire County Council’s March Area Transport Study (MATS) consultations in 2020.
“Fenland also carried out a series of six weekday and weekend public consultation events at March Library and during March Market, in June and July, and details of all projects have been available on the council’s website since spring 2022.
"Officers have also carried out a number of visits to town centre businesses. The county council also carried out two public consultation events on all MATS projects, including Broad Street, at the George Campbell Leisure Centre and March Library in September.
“As can be seen, the consultation has been extensive, as it was important to give every opportunity to share views and opinions.
“The planning application to relocate the Fountain is progressing through the statutory planning application process, and letters have been sent to all properties that adjoin the site. A site notice has also been displayed close to the application site.
“The project to transform the road layout has been put forward in order to increase capacity for future anticipated growth in the town; offer a more open, social and pedestrian-friendly environment, and increase traffic flow through the town centre, while improving safety and reducing pollution caused by standing traffic.”
