An Isle of Wight councillor has raised concerns that residents have not been informed of possible major changes to Newport road layouts.
The Isle of Wight council’s Website holds a document (embedded below for your convenience) that sets out possible scenarios for re-modelling of the roads around Newport.
Parkhurst ward councillor, Andrew Garratt is calling for residents to be consulted, but the Isle of Wight council (IWC) say the plans are still at the early stages.
Residents should be consulted early on
Cllr Garratt told OnTheWight the plans have been worked on for sometime and the IWC have had plenty of time to consult residents.
He said,
“For any road scheme, the Council will gather traffic data. It will carry out site surveys of the land. Consulting residents and road users should be a natural part of any design process. It should be something done early and certainly before the ink gets too dry on any blueprints.
“Regarding St Mary’s roundabout, the Council have been working on this scheme for months. They’ve had plenty of time to get on the doorsteps and talk to the residents on Parkhurst Road and Forest Road who are likely to be particularly affected.
“At the very least, the Council should spell out its consultation schedule soon.”
Still at early stage of discussion
A spokesperson for the Isle of Wight council told OnTheWight,
“Early thoughts on options for the Newport strategic highway project are currently being discussed; but this is at a very early stage.
“Options need to be considered alongside the requirements of the £9.5 million funding received and in relation to the wider strategic needs of the area.
“Residents and users of the proposed route are key stakeholders in the process and will be engaged at the appropriate time.
“The council will, of course, engage with local residents and Island residents once initial thinking has been done, ideas drafted and preliminary modelling has been undertaken.”
