Plans approved to partially pedestrianise street

A council has approved plans for a £1.4m transformation to partially pedestrianise a town centre street, despite disability fears.

Ipswich Borough Council agreed the plans to redevelop Lloyds Avenue, Ipswich, into a part-pedestrian zone at a meeting on Wednesday.

The council lodged the proposals in January as part of a scheme to create a green route between the town centre and the waterfront.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Luke O'Brien, a disability campaigner, said: "The council has a legal obligation to make reasonable adjustments for disabled people- extending the public space will require disabled people to walk further."

Local taxi drivers had previously criticised the proposal, as it could cut the number of taxi bays on the street.

Mo Ali, a cab driver who objected to the plans, said reactions on the ground had not been positive and highlighted fears the plans would discriminate against people with mobility problems.

The proposal to transform Lloyds Avenue was voted in by councillors at the planning and development committee meeting, with two voting against the proposal, and one abstention.

Sam Murray, a Conservative councillor at the authority, said: "As a wheelchair user, I don't care if it looks nice; I care about whether I can get on it comfortably, especially if I have to go a bit further to get a taxi."

The plans form part of the wider Ipswich Town Deal, funded by the government's Towns Fund.

A Labour councillor who welcomed the proposals, Kelvin Cracknell, said: "I take the taxi driver's concerns about picking up people who struggle walking up Lloyds Avenue from [the bottom] end, but I don't consider that a material consideration."

Several potential alterations to the Lloyds arch undercroft were also mentioned, with all councillors voting in favour of the proposed changes to add an art installation and digital screen.

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