CIRENCESTER Town Council has been accused of ignoring the concerns of residents with its £1.4million Market Place regeneration, resulting in a “scheme which is not fit for purpose”.

Residents aimed much criticism at deputy mayor Nigel Robbins regarding the project, which began last February, at a public meeting last Wednesday (February 22).

The meeting, arranged by Bill Waddell, a blind man from near Gloucester, was for local people to discuss their issues with the revamp work, including the troublesome ‘invisible’ kerbs and shared spaces, as well as the removal of several pedestrian crossings.

Numerous people have fallen victim to the new kerbs, which were first installed on Castle Street last spring, with several being hospitalised.

A town centre trader, speaking at the meeting at Bingham Hall, which was attended by Cllr Robbins, said: “We've got a scheme which hasn't met the requirements of local people.

“You've said, and the mayor constantly says, we have consulted fully with local people, we have followed guidance, legislation and everything else that we need to in order to make sure this scheme worked. It hasn't.

“Local people are telling you it hasn't worked and you're doing nothing about it. You've been saying stuff since the scheme started. You could've quite easily raised the height of those kerbs. But it wasn't done. We've ended up with a scheme which is not fit for purpose.”

Clare Finnimore, a partially-sighted resident, said: “I think we have been conned. We were told that Cirencester would be pedestrianised. We've actually got a mix of shared spaces and roads, which is very dangerous.”

She said guide dogs for blind and partially-sighted pedestrians are trained to follow ‘proper’ kerbs in order to keep their owners safe.

In response, Cllr Robbins said: "If you were told that we were introducing a pedestriansation scheme you were misled. That was never the purpose of it. It was designed to accommodate a range of different interests, but the main purpose was to reduce the amount of traffic in the Market Place.

“You must agree that the number of cars in the Market Place has reduced dramatically and the average speed has gone down dramatically. The onus should be firmly on the drivers, so that if any accident occurs they are responsible.”

He said that the town council consulted with the RNIB (Royal National Institute of Blind People) and Guide Dogs for the Blind, as well as local group DISC (Disability Information and Support in the Cotswolds) during the design process.

“You may have been misled about that, we were then misled about the needs of the disabled, if that is the case,” he said, adding: “Guide dog training may need to be changed.”

Leigh Chapman, a town centre trader, said: “The problems won't go away. These are repeat problems. We can't change guide dog training. The problems have to be addressed.

"And it would've cost a lot less if they had been addressed when they first became a problem. These excuses that people will get used to it and it's hearsay, are besides the point.”

Sarah Gayton, an activist and filmmaker who has spearheaded a campaign against shared spaces told those at the meeting that several councils had removed their shared spaces following a number of fatalities.

She cited Grimsby as an example, with the removal work costing £66,000.

One speaker said they had heard mayor Mark Harris say on the radio recently that following the completion of the work he will be blindfolded and walk around the town centre to experience for himself the issues.

"He promised he would, so perhaps we should make sure he keeps that promise," she said.