Ashford: Improvement works to begin on town's shared space

Pedestrians and vehicles have equal priority in the Elwick Road area

Roadworks aimed at improving a town centre space shared by pedestrians and motorists are to begin.

Kent County Council said work on Ashford Shared Space and Lower High Street, costing up to £600,000, will start on Tuesday.

It said the improvements would make the area "more resilient to future damage and easier to maintain".

Executive leader of Ashford Borough Council Gerry Clarkson said it would lead to a "nicer, safer" public realm.

The shared space scheme, which turned Ashford's ring road into streets where drivers and pedestrians had equal priority, has been in place since November 2008.

In 2011, a university study suggested pedestrians were nervous about using it but figures released by Kent County Council the following year showed a 41% drop in accidents in which people had been injured.

'Look and feel'

The council said the first phase of roadworks would take place largely at night between between 1 and 7 November.

Cabinet member for highways and transport, David Brazier, said the improvements were "essential to ensure the continued upkeep of Ashford Shared Space, which is an important part of the look and feel of the town centre".

The Lower High Street will see uneven cobbles replaced with tarmac, providing an even surface and reducing future maintenance cost, he added.

"It will also involve the resetting of uneven York paving slabs, replacing missing ones, as well as missing bollards, and also addressing tree root damage - promoting easier access for those with additional needs and disabilities," he said.

Mr Clarkson said: "The improvements will lead to a nicer, safer and easier to maintain public realm in the town centre."

Kent County Council said the aim was to complete the work in five phases by the spring of 2023.

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