'Naff sunloungers' on busy street cause a stir

One person described the seating as a "naff sunlounger"

The introduction of brightly-coloured wooden seating and decking on a busy town centre road has caused a bit of a stir among locals.

In what is claimed to be a UK first, Lincolnshire County Council has installed two "parklets" on Mercer Row in Louth.

The authority said the seating units were part of a trial to encourage people to spend more time in the town.

But some opponents said they looked "hideous" and were located in the wrong place.

Defending the idea, Richard Davies, executive member for highways at the authority, said they were trialling different options as part of the government-backed Active Travel Scheme.

"The early signs from people in the town who interacted with us were that, on the whole, the parklets are a good idea and will be used as intended," he said.

Lincolnshire County Council defended the move

'Lost the plot'

Their introduction sparked a frenzy of activity on social media, including comments linked to the introduction of traffic and parking restrictions in parts of the town.

"I have had a great idea. Let's stop everyone parking near the shops, so we can put some wooden sunlounger on temporary decking with a flower planter in the middle on the busiest road in the town," one resident wrote in a local Facebook group.

Another said: "If you get tired you can always recline on the sunlounger and shorten your life by inhaling all the traffic fumes created by people circling round looking for a free parking space."

One person described the seating as a "naff sunlounger", while others said the council "must have completely lost the plot".

However, some were more supportive of the idea.

"I'm never going to think parking is better than seating in a town centre. Town centre areas should be for humans not cars," one person wrote.

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